8A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, January 25, 1999 Lumet stones 'Gloria' By Laura Flyer Daily Arts Writer What's happened to Sharon Stone? Or rather, what did they do to Sharon Stone? Or perhaps most important, did the once undeniably talented Sidney Lumet really make this film? "Gloria," a remake. of its 1980 pre- decessor by John Cassavettes, seems to rest all its cards on its star, Stone, hoping her looks and charms will detract from the otherwise uninterest- ing parts of the film. Actually, it's doubtful that anyone could've done justice to "Gloria." Just released from jail after three years, Gloria (Stone) returns to New York City in hopes of getting her end of the deal made with former boyfriend Kevin (Jeremy Northam), that is, money. She discovers that not only is he stubborn, but she also real- izes that she's been jaded by his petty pleadings and entreaties to lure her back to him. The truth is, he's always been a scumbag and GiaOC always will be. But before * 1 leaving him for- At Briarwood ever, she decides and Showcase to help him with some "excess baggage" that's been weighing him down - a boy whose par- ents were mur- dered by Kevin and his mafia-like cohorts. What Gloria doesn't realize is that 6-year- old Nicky ("kid" as she calls him one too many times) has possession of a valuable computer disk that would basically indict Kevin and his friends for their corrupt practices, one of which is a serial murder of the parents of the child. As for the rest of Kevin & Co.'s illegal activities, we never understand much more about them in the movie. So now Gloria has the burden of dealing with this homeless, orphan kid whom she can't let go of because ,beyond her hardened exterior there is a soft, caring person inside of her that is really concerned with Nicky's future. She soon learns that her Michael Connelly to bring city of angels to A Angels Flight Michael Connelly Little, Brown, and Company When Michael Connelly was a young boy, he reli- giously read the Hardy Boys series, sparking his life- long interest in mysteries. And though Connelly is famous for his best-selling mystery novels, "Angels Flight" is especially enthralling not only because of its plot twists, but also because of the riotous situation in Los Angeles that is the setting of the book. Michael Connelly has had eight novels published in the past eight years. He has won an Edgar Award, the Nero Wolfe Prize and the Anthony Award. He started writing his novels after moving from Florida to Los Angeles to be a crime reporter. He still lives there, and all of his novels are set in Los Angeles. Connelly uses Los Angeles as a character in his nov- els. In his latest thriller, Harry Bosch, the main detec- tive on the case and the novel's protagonist, "finds good things in Los Angeles even on this dark trail," Connelly said. The author sites one of his inspirations for this novel as the re-opening of Angels Flight, an inclined railway in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. In the story Howard Elias, a lawyer who is famous for his lawsuits against the Los Angeles Police Department about racism and brutality, is found murdered at the foot of Angels Flight. The incident sparks much controversy and riots closely resembling the national- ly publicized L.A Riots of 1992. "The 1992 riots were a source of inspiration," Connelly Michael explained. He covered the riots Connelly when he worked as a reporter for Borders the Los Angeles Times. "They indelibly marked me and Tonight at 7:30 p.m. the book is somewhat of a tribute to that," he said. The riots are also why Los Angeles plays an even more integral role in this novel than for his others. Connelly's other inspiration, not specifically for this book, but for his writing in general, is the famous mystery writer Raymond Chandler. He continually uses Chandler's books as blueprints for his own mysteries. Connelly cites Chandler's "The Long Goodbye" as the model for his first book, "The Black Echo." This book introduced Harry Bosch as the perfect LAPD detective and six out of Connelly's eight books have had Bosch as the protagonist. In this particular novel, Harry is notable for his morals, even in the sometimes morally questionable world of Los Angeles crime. The problems he has with his wife make a good side story and give the character depth. - - - w m I r .: °; . ': <°:; Courtesy of Columbia Pictures Although Sharon Stone doesn't seem the motherly type, she seems to take a lik- ing to this boy in "Gloria." "bond" with Nicky (after sleeping in a few hotels and eating in various din- ers for a couple of days) is too great to sacrifice. Since she has to start her life over anyways, why not add a kid the equation? The problem with this movie is that though Stone is somewhat appealing to watch on the screen, her character is way too overemphasized and her actions so overly deliberate that it feels as though Lumet is putting her up on a pedestal with no one to look at her. We tire of the same New York accent she almost does a good job of emulating, and we tire of her tough- girl demeanor. Also, Nicky's charac- ter gets tedious as a kid who wants to be tough, but needs parental guid- ance, and therefore turns out to be stubborn, but not in the "cute" way that we would want him to be. An appearance by George C. Scott as Kevin's ringleader is actually fairly well-done, but loses all respect in a chat with Gloria when he (an elderly man) mentions the fact that they used to be a couple. How can we have respect for Gloria when we know she slept with someone four times her age? It's OK that she went down the wrong path with Kevin and ends up in jail, but we can't forgive her for going down on an old guy. Most entertaining is the cameo by Cathy Moriarty, who plays an idol of Gloria's throughout her entire life. Somehow, she made a lot of sense as someone Gloria would admire. But most of the movie deals with Lumet's attempt at capturing as much of New York City's street life on cam- era and providing a wardrobe for Sharon Stone of every conceivable sexy outfit. Nice try, but a beautiful woman and the Big Apple isn't going to make up for everything else that is lackluster in "Gloria." Courtesy of Little, Brown and Company Michael Connelly will read tonight at Borders. Connelly writes in a simple style that is easy for the masses to follow. More complicated prose would not be appropriate for such a murder mystery story and would serve to take focus away from the plot. But he does include symbolism, the Angels Flight railroad for example, which serves to sophisticate the story. The story's strengths, like his other books and like all good mysteries, lie in the surprise plot twists that take the reader into S&M parlors, child pornography Websites, and into the corruption dwelling in the police department. And again, Harry Bosch's character is a strength that has worked for five previous books and continues to work in this one. The book Connelly is working on lately, however, is not a "Harry Bosch novel," as this one introduces itself to be on the front cover. His next book, about a female burglar, differentiates itself from his other books right away in two important ways: There is a female protag- onist, and she's a criminal as opposed to being on the right side of the law. But the story still takes place mainly in Los Angeles. Though his future plans are still in the works, Connelly is in the midst of his tour for "Angels Flight." He offered helpful hints for aspiring writers, like the piece of advice that he received from former teacher Harry Crews: "If you're writing, write every day," he offered. Eight books and three awards later, that is clearly how Connelly became what he is today. Connelly will read from "Angels Flight" at Borders from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Gina Hamadev Museum digs up 75-year history a a Five Great Reasons to Get a Degree in Pharmacy From the University of ~ichigan I Outstanding employment opportunities (a virtually recession-proof career choice) 2 An average base annual salary of $64,823 for pharmacists with a PharmD degree 3You'd be part of a small, yet diverse student body (only 220 PharmD students total) 4 An exceptional alumni network (3,000 worldwide, with a high concentration in leader- ship positions) 5 Consistently ranked among the top three colleges of pharmacy in both US News & World Report and the Gourman Report. To learn about career oppor- tunities in pharmacy from those in practice, and for information about the Pharmacy Program at U-M, join us 7-9 pm in Room 1544, C.C. Little By Leah Zaiger Daily Arts Writer This year marks the University's plat- inum anniversary in archaeology, and the Kelsey Museum has 75 years of fieldwork and about 100,000 Kelsey Museum objects to show Fieldwork for it -more than 1924-1999 enough reason to Kelsey M useum see the new cele- Thruseum bration exhibit. Beginning in 1924, the museum has helped sup- port and sponsor more than 20 archaeological research projects. From excavation to surface reconnais- sance in the Mediterranean and Near East, this exhibit displays statues, glass work, tomb stones, scriptures, pottery and more. In the '20s and '30s, many of the pro- jects' discoveries seemed to go unno- ticed due to the fact that they were often divided between the host country and the institution sponsoring the work. But the museum does still hold many of the pieces from the first two decades of research. With maps and photographs of many of the sites and momentary dis- coveries, the exhibit offers a retrospec- tive of the past 75 years of fieldwork supported by the Kelsey Museum. The Kelsey work has always focused on the margins of the Mediterranean and Near East. Kelsey's first project dealt with two sites, Karanis, a Graeco-Roman town in Egypt, and Antioch of Pisidia, a Roman colony in Asia Minor. Karanis was ultimately a huge success with 45,000 findings shipped to Ann Arbor for display. With the exception of the Cairo Museum, the Kelsey offers the best rep- resentation of daily life in Graeco- Roman Egypt during that time period. The Karanis pieces displayed include a glass series. The seven glass vessels shown were discovered in 1927 by a University archaeologist. There were three additional flasks found as well, which were discovered to be concealed inside a pottery jar. It is said that the glass works were treasured pieces passed down through generations despite their ability to be reproduced. Other major sites include Egypt, North Africa, Israel, Iraq and Carthage, the famous city-state and rival of Rome. Beginning in 1925, archaeologists from the University started their excavations, discovering burial urns with the remains of sacrificed infants. But because of a pause during World War II, fieldwork did not resume until the mid-'50s when the museum once again sponsored a series of projects in Libya and Syria. As you enter the museum, the exhibit H 1 area is divided into rooms each contain- ing different sites and time periods. In the Greece, Etruria and Rome.section, between 1,000 BC and 500 AD, the play includes carved marble statues o emperor, an empress and many other people of the time. Researchers deduced this based on hairstyles, marble types, and clothes worn by the subjects. Also on display is "The Aleman Mosaic," made up of marble and glass tessarae, which was created in the second century AD by the Greek poet Aleman. It is one of only two of its kind. This room also holds marble tombstones inscribed for the gods of the underworld as well free blown glass, a landmark develo# ment of 50 BC. There is a display by a history of art class, Archaeology 221, which contains black-figure pottery. Another highlight is the coffin of Djheutymose found in Egypt between 685 and 525 BC. This painted wooden container is decorated with intricate- design both inside and out. But the dis- play explains that the shoulder area of the coffin is slightly shaved av* because upon Djheutymose's burial ,t; was discovered that his body was too large for the case. The Kelsey Museum displays thee artifacts and their background informa' tion in comprehensive and aesthetically; appealing ways. With mirrors placei beneath large pieces on stands and detailed descriptions explaining the archaeological and historical back' grounds, the exhibit is user friendly an educational. Submissions for the :: 1999 Literary Magazine are due at,' noon on Friday, Feb.:, 19. See Weekend, etc. Magazine on Thursday for more information. =Ow STUDENTS WITH CROHN'S DISEASE OR ULCERATIVE COLITIS Please join Dr. Ellen Zimmermann Asst Professor of Gastroenterology, U of M for an informal discussion Lift your voice and shore our ideas wih nmnfm rmi2rrct 4pAMidwest I p(A 11 1