10 - The Michigan Daily -Wednesday, October 21, 1998 Strength of heart makes kid 'mighty EriMn Podolfty Daily Arts Writer Every so often, there are children's stories that transcend their genre, that break free and soar above the mundane territory of small words and short sentences and paper charac- ters. Earlier this fall, "Simon Birch" snuck into theaters with its ambitious portrayal of the relationship of a pipsqueak of a kid with a whopper of a mind and his outsider-but-other- wise-normal best friend. Now comes "The Mighty," a tale of a pip- squeak of a kid with a whopper of a mind and his outsider-but-otherwise-normal best friend. The difference between the two is this: "Simon Birch" tugs at your heartstrings with- out offering much more than a simple story of love and trust that is outweighed by its melo- dramatically lofty goals and periodic heavy- handedness. "The Mighty" breaks your heart without ever trying to - it is beautifully -understated and never takes anything for granted, and it is because of this that you shouldn't let one of the better films of the sea- The Mighty At Showcase ' \ son slip through your fin- gers. It may be more of a fanciful and imaginative children's film than any- thing else, but it still has much to offer viewers of an older variety. Kevin Dillon (Kieran Culkin), better known as Freak in the film, is a bright young boy who scuttles around like a spi- der on crutches, spine curved beyond recognition and large eyes peeking out from his glasses-rimmed pale face. He suffers from brain/brawn supercombo. A lady's wallet is stolen and recovered by the chivalrous two- some. Improbable scenes like a midnight toboggan run are successfully navigated with- in the realistic-yet-imagination-driven world of the film. None are so important as the bond between the two misfits. Gillian Anderson has a small but important role as a campy, drunken white trash glam girl out of Max's past with a penchant for heavy makeup - for those "X-Files" fans who didn't think their beloved Scully could ever become another character, think again. Even this X- Phile was pleasantly surprised. Harry Dean Stanton and the peerless Gena Rowlands clock in as Max's primary caregiv- ing grandparents and display touching concern for their young charge who looks more and more every day like their black sheep son-in- law. Sharon Stone has no trouble playing the non-sexpot mom and conveys a love for both boys that is it wholly believable. The film is based on the Rodman Philbrick's children's novel, "Freak the Mighty," but it shows no sign of immature language or cater- ing to children. Director Peter Chelsom deftly crafts the tale of the two boys with a hand that implies knowledge of the cruelty of adoles- cence, the hardships of life and the power of friendship. His handling of the performances by Culkin and Henson is exceptional, never striking a false note. Culkin is especially impressive as the crip- pled Freak, handling both the physical demands of his role and line delivery without faltering (or falling prey to the woodenness characteristic of some of his older brother Macauley's roles). His talent shines equally in scenes of serious import and charismatic cam- era-mugging. "The Mighty" is at once a sad and victorious film, celebrating life in the face of harsh cir- cumstance. It is a fable taken from a children's book, but that doesn't make it inaccessible to adults. Its final act is hugely unfair, robbing us of a character we have come to know and love. A mechanical bird that Freak builds early in the film, once caught in a tree and rendered flightless, is rescued by a newly empowered Max and given to fly once again. The movie's triumph is the relationship between these two outsiders, set apart from their peers by cruel tricks of nature and cir- cumstances beyond their control. They bear the weight of their fathers' sins, their mothers' love, and their own hopes and dreams. They collaborate against their enemies and unite as one huge being, Freak the Mighty, a giant body without a brain and a giant brain without a body, standing tall in the saddle as King Arthur once did at Camelot. And as Arthur's spirit lives on to this day in legend and lore, so will Freak's spirit live on in the great gift he gives to Max: the power of words. Morquio's syndrome, which makes his bones stop growing while his organs continue to get bigger, and eventually, as is poignantly said, his heart will just get too big for his body. What his bones lack in cell growth, his mind makes up for - he subscribes to the theory that "you can think your way out of anything, even pain." Freak moves in next door to classmate Max Kane (Elden Henson), a hulking adolescent gentle giant in the midst of his third stint as a seventh grader who tells us in just one of many (but never overbearing) voiceovers, "when you're in the seventh grade and you look like Godzilla, you're gonna get the looks and you're gonna get the whispers." He feels that people look at him as if he was on last night's episode of "America's Most Wanted." Self- aware but unable to help himself, Max is the subject of his classmates' ridicule and even physical violence, something that Freak finds hard to comprehend because, as he succinctly puts it, Max is "built like the Terminator." Cop wreaks terror Future Cop: L.A.P.D. Electronic Arts Playstation Ever want to cause damage and do massive destruction with high tech weaponry and have justification for doing so? Now it's possible - at least on Playstation. In "Future Cop: L.A.P.D." the player is a member of the most notorious police depart- ment in the United States, the Los Angeles Police Department. This game has got it all - high tech weapons, drugs, politically incorrect connotations and what human nature craves for: violence. Electronic Arts first planned "Future Cop" to be another installation of their successful "Strike" series, which included games like "Desert Strike" and "Nuclear Strike." This game is very similar to the other "Strike" games, only this time players pilot a vehicle that can also transform into a hovercraft instead of a mere helicopter. The introduction immedi- ately draws one into the game with overwhelming graphics and explosive displays of the firepower possessed by the craft. The story is that L.A. is now fully devoid of all angels. It's now chock full of mutants, drug dealers and cults. Of course, the player must kill all these groups on sight, making one wonder whether or not the game mir- rors the real L.A.P.D. and how it treats unfavorables. The awesome music, a com- bination of heavy beats and techno elements, adds even more excitement and antici- pation. The gameplay is in no way disappointing. Your expecta- tions are fully met with great control which, while extremely touchy, is neces- sary for tight situations. There is plenty of ammo so there's little need to conserve it. Additionally, the radio contact who gives lots of great advice and smart remarks is surprisingly not annoying. The idea of this game is not exactly original, but the set- ting the LAPD is a nice, if controversial, touch. The only bad part of "Future Cop" is that some levels are extreme- ly long in playing time. Since the player can only save after completion of a level, dying near the end of the level means that you have to go through the whole area again, which could be frustrating. There is a map to guide you, but you could still easily get confused and spend valuable time trying to find where you are. 61 #I I Kieran Culkin (top) and Elden Henson star in Peter Chelsom's "The Mighty." First enmity, then bonding ensues, all with- out the sickly sweet strings of melodrama and heartwarming Kodak moments. Freak tutors the remedial reading-bound Max, teaching him about the great King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table and giving him advice that turns out to be the basis for the entire film: "Every word is part of a picture; every sentence is a picture. All you do is let your imagination connect them together." Max hoists Freak on his shoulders and gives him an outlook on life like nothing he had ever dreamed. Freak chides Max for not having enough of an imagination to envision the words on the written page coming to life. By the film's end he has imparted his limitless knowledge to Max; he takes Freak's words as gospel, even thinking that because Freak said so, a laundry facility is going to build Freak a new "bio- genetically improved" body - it's not so much that Max is stupid, but that he trusts his friend so completely that even the fantastic seems possible, and that even when Freak is gone, Max can still conjure him through words and imagination. There are, of course, various other subplots: Max's father is in prison for a heinous crime that has forced Max to bear the stigma of "Killer Kane" all through his childhood along with his own repressed memories. Young hoodlums are taught a lesson by the Il #I - I Book satires industry J. Crewd Justin Racz Doubleday Don't you hate it when, after waiting four to six weeks, you receive a mail- order sweater and your first time wearing it, the classmate across the room has the exact same one? Have you ever found yourself knee-high in a pile of posh clothing catalogues - all of which sell the identical chambray shirt? If this is the case, "J. Crewd" is just the relief your credit card has been yearning for. This tongue in cheek look at the silliness of modern consumerism laughs at every- thing - from religion, to cloning, to wedgies to safe sex. At first glance, the book appears just like one of the numerous mail-order cat- alogues: full-page photos of beautiful people looking at ease while performing some of the most irregular tasks; differ- ent color options perfectly layered one on top of the other; photographs of led Kaczynski sporting an item from the Unabomber Jacket Collection ("wear it for life"). Well, maybe this is not your every-day collection of clothes. One of the first pages boast that the clothes are "handmade" and that the "workshop bubbles with good cheer and a plucky spirit." This statement lies on top of a full-page photo of sweatshop laborers sewing buttons on to shirts. But that is perhaps tame for this politically incorrect assault. In the "intimates" department, you won't only find lingerie and underwear - but how do designer condoms sound? The "cargo fit" and the "greek sheik"- complete with your fraternity's Greek let- ters - are two of the most popular mod- els. Some other big-sellers from this department include the wife-beater with your choice of flavored sauce stain and a fleece-lined jock-strap, the "Hot Jock." Perhaps the most tasteless section relates to religiously charged garments and accessories. For Christians, there is the "Dovetail 600 Choirboy" robe collec- tion, which can be bought in colors rang- ing from "hell" (red) to "lust" (purple). This is not to be outdone by the articles for Jewish people including the "Classic Yarmulke," available in many colors including "Greenberg" (green), "Blueberg" (blue) and "Schwartz" (black). Despite its short length "J. Crewd" provides endless laughter and gives shop- ping-by-mail an overdue reality check. The pop-culture allusions pour out thick from the pages and never stop to apolo- gize for impropriety. And it is that gall that makes this so enjoyable. The author never hesitates to make a would-be offensive crack at any group of people. His commentaries on society come through loud and clear. Now, if only they cold solve that sweater problem ... -Aaron Rich 1 *120 STORE MERCHANDISE *4240 SAW/INGS AT REEVED r The replay value is perhaps the best feature "Future Cop" has to offer. In order to get rid of all those puny punks trying to put you down with their peashooters, you can use various powerful weapons with laser sighting, wasting massive amounts of ammunition for the enjoy- ment of setting people's heads on fire and watching their bodies burst into little messes on the ground. Players should remember they're dealing with mutants, drug dealersand psycho cult followers here. If the levels for single- player action seem a little hard, players may ask a friend to jump in and join the car- nage and spread a little love with the two-player coopera- tive mode. Or if two players have a mutual friendly con- flict, they have the option of going to two-player competi- tive mode and challenging - each other to a duel. Duels emphasize strategy more than action as one tries to destroy the other's base and protect one's own by building gun I The Michigan Union Program Board and Mortar Board proudly present: Faculty Wednesdays at the University Club Michigan Union Bookstore Oct. 19-24 11-4 p.m. (734) 995-8877 How the Brain Get's Wired Up: The Yuck Factor with Biology Professor John Kuwada I-