i * e Kimberly Pierce film opens at the State Theater tonight. One of the year's best films tells the story of the gender bending Teena Brandon, played very compassionately and powerfully by newcomer Hilary Swank. Give her a damn Oscar. 7 & 9:30 p.m. te icIi&m iutk Check out Erin Podolsky's review of "Boys Don't Cry," a film that immediatly had critical acclaim when hit screens at Sundance. Friday January 7, 2000 5 i Director flowers in 'Magnolia' By Matthew Barrett Daily Arts Writer "Respect the cock and tame the cunt." Not exactly the first thing that we'd expect to hear coming out of Tom Cruise's mouth. Then again, "Magnolia" is not what we've come to expect in today's cinema. It is bold, daring and unapolo- getic. It is three hours long, and not a moment is asted. It is nothing short of a masterpiece. The film follows several characters who are involved in a story that unravels during a 24-hour period in the San Fernando Valley. Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson is the man behind "Magnolia" and he never wavers over the course of the film. "Magnolia" begins with three vignettes, unrelated to the plot, but essential to the movie. They let us know that even Zahn, Northam make silly hijinks in 'Happy, Texas' By Aaron Rich Daily Arts Writer Do we really need to see yet anoth- er escaped-con movie? Well, yes and no. What we don't need is a film about two guys (maybe of two different eth- nic or social backgrounds) handcuffed together, finding out that they are not so different after all. We also don't Happy, Texas At The Michigan Theater need a story about two guys running from the police and talk- ing about one- armed men. Thankfully, "Happy, Texas" is neither of the above - and it takes the escape premise to rather new, if ridicu- lous, ends. J e r e m y Northam and Magnolia At Quality 16 and Showcase the impossible occurs every so often and that sometimes it's better not to ask ques- tions. Soon after, Anderson sets the. scene, offering us glimpses of the cast of char- acters before we delve into the guts of the plot. From this point on, several stories with common connections are going at once, in the vein of Robert Altman's "Nashville" and "Short Cuts." One thread involves TV pageant. To make matters more sticky, the town Sheriff, Chappy (played bril- liantly by William H. Macy), deciding that the arrival of the pair is a perfect opportunity to come out of the closet, falls in love with Harry. Both Northam and Macy give won- derful performances - in a film that seems to be the farthest thing from. anything either actor would ever pick up (this isn't David Mamet after all). None of Northam's classical,' Shakespearean training comes out in the role (he plays a know-nothing American thief), but that is the point, in a sense. For Macy fans, there is perhaps. nothing more exciting than seeing the master thespian convincingly take-on the role of a gay Texan sheriff (almost like a gay Jerry Lundegaard). He is both pitiful and funny - perfect for laying down the law. Though getting laughs out of cute, silly kids is a cheap route to take, it works well here. Wayne, who could only be pictured stealing kids toys, works in ridiculous ways with' the young wannabe Miss Americas. He continually makes them cry by insti- tuting "prison rules" in the talent show rehearsals, but also improvises wild dances for the tots to show off for the judges. "Happy, Texas" might not go down in history with "The Defiant Ones" or "The Fugitive," but, thank goodness, it does not try to. The film has no pretensions about being any bigger than a simple, silly comedy. And it is a very enjoyable one. Courtesy of New Line Cinema "I don't even have to ask. Stanley, get your butt up there." Jeremy Blackman plays kid wiz Stanley Spector In 'Magnolia.' producer Earl Partridge (Jason Robards), a dying man, his wife Linda (Julianne Moore), his care- taker Phil (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and their search for Earl's long lost son. Another involves a boy-genius, Stanley Spector (Jeremy Blackman), whose competing on "What Do Kids Know?" a game-show hosted by Jimmy Gator (Philip Baker Hall). On the other side of town Jimmy's daughter, Claudia Wilson Gator (Melora Waters), is trying (keep Jim Kurring (John C. Reilly), a nosy and bumbling policeman, out of her life. All of which has something to do with Donnie Smith (William H. Macy), a game-show sensation as a child and a romantic failure as an adult. And then there's Frank T.J. Mackey (Tom Cruise) a motivational speaker whose program "Seduce and Destroy" can be ordered by picking up your phone and dialing 1-877-TAME-HER (give it a ring). Through the course of the movie, we jump back and forth between the ongoing narratives, sometimes seeing characters for several minutes, leaving them for half an hour and then returning right where we left off. Anderson handles the action with confidence and, rather than forcing things along, grants each section of the narrative the time that it deserves. The cast is outstanding across the board with not a bad performance in the bunch. Anderson seems to hand-pick some of the best actors in the business for his films and it pays off. He also re-uses several actors from his previous efforts ("Hard Eight" and "Boogie Nights"), which lends a nice feeling of consistency to his work. Cruise received a well-deserved Golden Globe nomination for his part and is worthy of all the praise that's being heaped upon him. Playing the seedy and sexist Mackey was an audacious move on the actor's part, but he ends up creating a character audiences will be talking about for years to come. In terms of the details surrounding the film's plot, the less you know the better. A lot of action is going on at once, but it's never hard to stick with the story. Several sequences in the film are worthy of high-praise, but cannot be discussed without compromising the movie. In a time when stale and uninspired movies crowd the theaters, "Magnolia" is a breath of fresh air. It is unique and deserves to be seen. The film also signals Anderson's transition from an exciting young filmmaker to a budding auteur. "Magnolia" is not to be missed. Steve Zahn play two prisoners who escape from their chain gang in Texas and steal the camper of two gay beau- ty pageant coaches. Deciding the best way to lay low is to play along with the new personae, they find them- selves in the small, picturesque town of Happy. Hair-brained schemes abound until Harry (Northam) falls in love with the town banker and Wayne (Zahn) falls for one of the mothers. These romances present problems as the two also plan to betray both of their belles by ripping off the bank during the big COME WRITE FOR DAILY ARTS. CALL US AT 763-0379. OR JUST STOP BY 420 MAYNARD. WE'RE ON THE SECOND FLOOR. t of Sem Lie ha e ,-- _..~44 ne We realize we don't have to waste your time explaining the virtues of the Internet. Let's just say that at VarsityBooks.com we've made the most of it. Not only can you save up to 40% on your textbooks, but you'll also receive them in just one to three business days. All on a Web site that's completely reliable and secure. What more do you need to know?