I Remember When? The Michigan Theater continues its comedy masters series with Woody Allen's "Stardust Memories." 7 p.m. AUrbe iditiau &lg RTS michigandaily.com /arts TUESDAY OCTOBER 3, 2000 8 r----- v Another Titanic Hit? 1 _ , t_ CAMERON BRINGS "DARK ANGEL" TO THE SMALL SCREEN By Jenny Jeltes For the Daily "America is just another broke ex-superpower looking for a handout and wondering why." This line is just one of the many problems confronting the characters of "Dark Angel," the new sci-fi adventure series premiering on FOX. Producers James Cameron ("Titanic,' "Terminator II") and Charles Egee set this new show in the year 2019 and propose a futuristic reali- ty of technological disaster. In 2009, a covert genetic lab in Gillette, Wyoming began "Project Manticore," a new undertaking involving the genetic engineering of young children. This break- through allowed for superhuman qualities such as enhanced strength, fitness and mental capacity, which could ultimately give America ever-powerful combat sol- dier troops. Only something went wrong. Most of these kids, with their shaven heads and bar codes on their necks, managed to escape this drill camp late one night and make it out into the real world. Actress Jessica Alba makes her television starring debut as Max, one of the lone survivors of this devastat- ing and torturesome past. Skipping ahead to the year 2019, America has taken a turn for the worst. After suf- x i i I i r t f x { ti I fering an electromagnetic pulse blast conducted by foreign terror- ists, America has fallen into a Depression. Dark Poverty, pollution anti hopeless- Angel ness now best characterize the sta- tus of the United States. There is Fox no government - well, at least the Tonight at 9 p.m. kind of government we know of now. Moreover, power is held in the hands of the corrupt. An advantage of this, for Max at least, is that she has managed to stay undetected. The military officials from the lab, headed by Lydecker (John Savage) are still on the hunt. Max, while managing to be hidden from their view, is on a hunt of her own. What has happened to all of the other children she had escaped with, especially the boy who had saved her life that night? In addition to Max's struggle, the nation faces a struggle of its own. There are so called sugar pills now being given to the nation's sick and the real medication, capable of saving the lives of many, is being exported on the black market. Max runs into Logan Kale (Michael Weatherly), an underground cyber-journalist striving to do something, anything, to fuel some motivation in the hearts of all these innocent citizens. Logan, noticing Max's extraordinary strength and fighting abilities, wants her to help him in his quest. What good will this do for Max though? Will he be able to track down some of her fellow companions from the lab? These questions can only set the stage for a successful season of action and suspense. "Dark Angel" gives sci- ence fiction a feminist twist, for Max takes crap from no one. Not only is she extremely witty and intelligent, but to all you guys out there, she's pretty good-looking,'too. Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Denzel Washington stars as Coach Herman Moone in Jerry Bruckheimer's "Remember the Titans," based on a true story. Strength of Titans' lost in trite displays of sentimentali Courtesy ofFOX "Dark Angel," from James Cameron, stars Jessica Alba. Girls, you are not overlooked. Logan, her undercover buddy, is pretty fine himself. On a higher level, "Dark Angel" can be pleasing to all audiences because it deals with some questions that ulti- mately concern the entire nation. Many people have been questioning the consequences, both good and bad, of our country's rapid technological growth. This show is very interesting because many of its ideas are not too out of our league. Being too powerful may have devastating results (does "Big Brother" ring a bell?). The best part of "Dark Angel" is the flow of events. It is fast-paced and it keeps you wondering what will happen next. Max has herself in quite a plight and one cannot help but hook in to her strug- gle. On the flip side, there is an element of fulfill- ment missing. Given the situations the characters in "Dark Angel" are faced with, one can understand their lack of personal hap- piness, but the characters at times appear so - what's the word? - dry. You may likely enjoy Max's sarcastic remarks, for they are stunning, but if you are expecting some sort of identification with a character, it may be hard to find it in this show. Given that this is the first episode, however, this atti- tude may change as the show progresses. Nevertheless, it is definitely worth a shot to watch "Dark Angel" and learn what it is all about. Given the past successes of Cameron, chances are good this show will interest many. By Leslie Boxer Daily Arts Writer According to Greek mythology, the titans were stronger than the gods. They were people of colossal size, strength or achievement. "Remember the Titans" is a fitting title for the film about a high school football team that single handed- ly changed the face of racism in Alexandria, Virginia in the * ms early 1970s. It is equally fitting Remember because the film is the Titans so full of its own valor that it seems Grade: C- to assume epic At Showcase status. and Quality 16 The story of the T.C. Williams High School Titans is the story of integration played out on the football field. In 1971 two high schools - and consequently two foot- ball teams - were integrated. Denzel Washington (Coach Boone), in a politi- cal move by the school board, is brought in to coach the Titans, replacing a well- regarded white coach, Coach Yoast (Will Patton). As can be imagined this is the first of many race related issues that the team must face. The African Americans don't want to play with their white team- mates and the Caucasian students are equally disinterested. Throughout their pre-season, which is much more gruel- ing than any high school football train- ing camp that I have ever seen, the audi- ence watches the characters dismantle their racial prejudices and learn to get along. Once returning to school, the team has to face all of the same pressures of inte- gration but this time "in the real world.' All of the boys must challenge not only their personal beliefs but also those of their families and what is expected of them by their friends. All of which is illustrated through the friendship of white All-American Bertier (Ryan Hurst) and the African American defen- sive player, Julius (Wood Harris). Even though the film is structured as a football movie and does follow the Titans in their quest for the state champi- onships, it never truly takes on the per- sona of a sports film. It lacks the build- up and excitement that often connects the audience with the team. This is because director Boaz Yakin, in his attempt to glorify the Titans has made the film overly sentimental and 9fen trite. Many of the scenes that are meant to be touching and heart-felt come across hackneyed and forced. For example, there is one scene in which Julian tries to visit his injured white teammate, Bertier, and the nurse tells him that only "kin" are allowed to visit. At which p Bertier tells the nurse that they.are "brothers." Similarly, a late night run at pre-season camp leads the players to Gettysburg where Denzel Washington reminds the players that their football team embodies the very essence of what the Civil War was fought over. With scenes like these, you would think the characters would be flat carica- tures of the two sides of the race a ment. Luckily for the audiencethi not true. Will Patton's Coach'Yoast is well developed and truly comesraerss as a man that is torn between what is expected of him and what he believes is right. Denzel Washington is very good as Coach Boone and never allows his character to be simply a victim of the town's prejudice. One character whom writer Gregory Allen greatly misjudged was Yoast's daughter, Cheryl-(Hayden Panettere). She is a nine year old tome who will not play with dolls and lo football more ferociously than her father. Throughout most of the story she is sim- ply annoying. She is representative of the voice of the Caucasian community in certain respects because she has the childlike innocence to tell people exact- ly what is not being said. Yet she comes across as out of place and spoiled. "Remember the Titans" is entertaining at best. It is by no means anything to about and is sometimes overly sentimen- tal, but it does have a certain charm. Tron 'Bonnes' up Capcom line Games where the player is a crimi- n4l tend to fall into t/ Grade: B+ Misadventures bf Tron Bonne For Playstation Capcom Reviewed by Daily Arts Writer sTed Watts Grand Theft Auto category; nasty person you are, thieving and killing and doing other illegal whatnot. The M i sad ventures of Tron Bonne is, as one might expect, a little more light heart- ed. ular Mega Man series? This is a regu- lar Laverne and Shirley; Tron wasn't quite as nice in the Mega Man Happy Days, but in her own title she's the sweetest little crime boss this side of Little Debbie. Like Mega Man Legends, Misadventures is a kinda RPG. Adding some complexity are the Lego-looking servbots who do Tron's bidding as happily as felonious little munchkin mechanoids can. On your ship, the Gesellschaft, you can see what the little guys can do and what their personalities are like. You ges descriptions like 'quiet and strange' for some of them. By giving them dif- ferent items, the servbots can develop different attributes. It's a nice touch and makes the game more complex without being complicated. The game even has some nice Capcom cel animation pop up when characters are talking. The icing on the cake is the playable demo for Mega Man Legends 2: showing both the recently capless and normally hel- meted versions of Mega Man, the demo gives you gameplay pretty sim- ilar to Tron's own game, but even smoother. It's a fine package. So, for the finest in new post-Mario non-apocalyptic action games, you know where to get your fix. Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures "Remember the Titans" is all about diversity. And why wouldn't you have a spring in your superdeformed male- fator step if you came from the pop- LOOKING FOR BREAKING RECORDS CHECK BACK ON THURSDAY FOR REVIEWS OF NEWLY RELEASED ALBUMS BY RADIOHEAD, PAUL SIMON, GREEN DAY, JORK AND C-MURDER. i *OBFAIR r. -* Monday & Tuesday October 2 & 3, 2000 Michigan Union quo QC22:00noon - 4:00pm i Learn how the world works. .. 10, A representative will be on campus to discuss our study abroad programs: Australia f. i