12A - The Michigan Daiy -- Wednesday, September 6, 2000

ARTS

Coyotes anything but ugly; movie foul

By Matthew Barrett
Daily Film Editor
How ugly is ugly? "Coyote
Ugly" which refers to waking up in
bed with your
arm around
someone so
unattractive
Coyote that you gnaw
Ugly the arm off and
bolt before they
Grade: D+ wake up and
At Showcase recognize you.
and Quality 16 This pearl of
wisdom comes
compliments of
Lil (Maria
Bello) who also
happens to own
a bar of the
same name in New York City.

"Coyote Ugly" is a rock and rolling
place wh female bartenders dance
on the bar tight little outfits and make
loads of money in tips from horny
patrons. Which makes it the perfect
spot for New Jersey import and aspir-
ing songwriter Violet Sanford (Piper
Perabo) to cut her teeth before she lands
a big record contract.
Violet never see$ too taken by the
scene at the bar (someone observes that
they knew right away she wasn't a lifer)
and as the story progresses she
becomes torn between the bar, her
music career and her boyfriend. As a
film, "Coyote Ugly" seems tom as well,
never clear on whether it's a small town
girl makes it in the big city story or a
lusty sex romp. The film leans on John
Goodman in the role of Violet's wid-
owed father for bursts of comic relief
and hard-hitting emotion that never

seem to elicit the response they were
after.
"Coyote Ugly" was produced by
Jerry Bruckheimer and bares many of
the trademarks of his films - blaring
music, lighting quick editing and a plot
which pits an underdog hero against
incredible odds. Or in other words,
"Coyote Ugly" plays out more like a 90
minute music video than a well-done
movie. Ridiculous and gratuitous
scenes of the girls at the bar are fol-
lowed by laughable shots of Violet
crooning on her rooftop in the middle
of the night.
Perhaps the only bright spot in the
film, other than the explanation of its
title, is the blink and you'll miss it
appearance by Bud Cort ("Harold and
Maude") as the owner of a pizza shop.
On the other end of the cameo spec-
trum is a brief and ludicrous appear-

ance by country singer LeAnn Rimes,
who was included so that there could
be a jamming musical number at the
end to sway our hands to as we left the
theater.
By trying to walk the line
between several different genres
"Coyote Ugly" ends up as an unap-
pealing mess of a movie. Those
behind the film would have been
better off to either tell a simple
story of girl makes it in New York
City or - if they wanted to make a
sex romp - go for the jugular as
was done in the superior and seedier
"Cruel Intentions."
As itsis, the film was made to
walk just along the edges of the PG-
13 rating, hence the silhouettes and
cutaway shots. And in the end, its
attempts to appeal to all are attrac-
tive to none.

Meet the Dreamer, the Boss, the Law, the Heartbreaker and the Flame. Or

Magnolia DVP chock full of extras, music, goodies and frogs

"Magnolia" is a beast of a movie, clocking in at a little
more than three hours and it is as bold and daring as it is long.
The film was recently released on DVD in a glorious double-
disc set that does justice to a movie championed by some and
stomped on by many - with one of the primary complaints
heing the length of the film. Some have shied away from the
movie based on its sheer length and that's fine - this movie
was not made for the timid and scared.
A long running time is nothing to be
M afraid of, in fact it is to be celebrated that
Magnolia such a young and talented filmmaker as
Grade: A Paul Thomas Anderson was given all the
authority in the world to make and
New Line release his movie the way that he wanted
Cinema to, critics and naysayers be damned. So
what if watching the movie takes asextra
Reviewed by Daily hour out of your life? It only makes the
Film Editor payoff that much sweeter and powerful
Matt Barrett when it comes. "Magnolia" is not a film
to be consumed in bits and pieces (notice
only 12 chapters spread out over the course of the DVD), but
(ather a film to be swallowed whole in a fearless flurry and then

processed and digested for days to come.
"Magnolia" is a wide and roaming story with an ensemble
of actors who each seem tailor made for their particular parts.
The film is set in the greater Los Angeles area over the course
of a strange and unusual day. Other than this, the less you
know going in, the better off you are.
Tom Cruise received the majority of the ink for his against-
the-grain and Oscar-nominated turn as motivational speaker
Frank T.J. Mackey. Cruise deserves all the credit in the world
(and that Oscar that Michael Caine won) for laying himself on
the line by taking the part and then turning in a performance
that is nothing short of stunning.
Cruise is so effortless and convincing in the part that it's
hard to imagine any other actor playing the character who is
out to "enlighten" single men on the process of roping in
females. Criticism that has been leveled at Mackey for his
techniques and language is unfair and wrong as it misses the
fact that all of his mannerisms and behaviors are part of a
larger facade, built up to protect him from a rejecting world.
Another performance in the film that is just as praisewor-
thy is Philip Seymour Hoffman's turn as Phil Parma, an angel-
ic nurse to a dying old man. Hoffman is so smooth in his

portrayal of the character that it's easy to look past him and
the skill of his performance, especially when he's placed
alongside a chanting and ranting Tom Cruise (which explains
why Cruise got the Oscar-nomination although both perform-
ers were worthy).
Other standouts in the supporting cast include Julianne
Moore as a guilt-ridden trophy wife, John C. Reilly as a
straight-shooting cop, and Philip Baker Hall as an aging
gameshow host, all of whom have appeared in previous
Anderson movies.
The film also benefits from the constant presence of Aimee
Mann songs, which pop up throughout the story, ala Simon
and Garfunkel in "The Graduate." Fans of Mann will be
pleased to know that the video for her Oscar-nominated tune
"Save Me" is also included on the disc.
Along with the aforementioned video and a beautiful trans-
fer of the film, the DVD version of "Magnolia" comes with a
few extra features. The disc includes deleted footage from the
Frank T.J. Mackey seminar, where we get to see Frank act out
a few of his lady-catching schemes. These moments are price-
less as Mackey is a character who will weave his way into
pop-culture for years to come, and the more we have of him,

the better.
Also included is "Magnolia Diary," a documentary by Mark
Rance on the process of making the film. Rance's work is the
real treat on the disc for fans of the film, as it takes us behind
the scenes from initial meetings about "Magnolia" to film's
completion and premiere.
The glaring omission on the disc is a commentary track by
Anderson, which the director chose not to record. Anderson
was very vocal in his support of the film when it was released
and he may have felt that there was no reason to shine his own
shoes for another three hours.
Well Paul, if you won't do it, I will. This is a great movie
and one which deserves to be seen by more people than the
scattered few who caught its run in theaters. It may have got-
ten dissed by Oscar, but 10 years from now people will look
back and recognize it for the masterpiece that it is, while
more-nominated fare like "The Cider House Rules" and "The
Green Mile" will slowly slip away from our movieviewing
minds.
Classes have just started, you can't be that busy yet and you
don't need to buy your books for a few weeks - do yourself a
favor and see this movie. You won't regret it.


Live Band
Prizesi-
Giveaways
Fe~t
2000
Learn how U of M
conserves energy!
Date: September13
Time:11:00AM-2:0OPM
Location:Diag
Sponsored by
The Utilities and Maintenance
Services Department and tte
Center for Sustainability Services
at the University of chigan

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