Check out Basement Arts... Basement Arts presents a contem- porary Israeli drama, "Games in the Back Yard." Tonight at the Frieze building. 7 p.m. michigandaily.com /arts Ad##= Oak rrs THURSDAY MARCH 8, 2001 8A 'Mexican' mixes 'Sopranos' looks to another hit season comedy, romance and great adventure By Ryan Blay Daily Arts Writer 8y Wlhelmina Mauritz Daily Arts Writer When you put Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt and "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini in t movie together, you are bound to pro- duce a pretty enjoyable flick. "The The Mexican Grade: B+ At Showcase and Quality 16 Mexican" is exactly that: A fun comedy with a lit- tle bit of every- thing in it. Although the previews to this movie play up the romance between Julia and Brad, the two do not actual- ly have that much screen time together. This may disappoint some but it does give of the movie. In a "Romeo and Juliet"- style balcony scene, we see Julia throw- ing out Pitt's clothing as he tries to calm her down. He uses pet names like "sweetie" and "baby" while she uses psychobabble she has picked up from their group therapy. After a certain amount of escalation has occurred, Julia issues a "timeout" - something they have obviously picked up from their therapy together. Although Pitt wants to talk and is clearly frustrated by her command of silence, he obliges and waits. This is a perfect example of how the two interact. At times they sound as though they simply argue all the time, but deep down they have noth- ing but love and respect for one another. The basic premise of the movie revolves around an infamous gun they call "The Mexican" James (Pitt) is sent down to Mexico to pick up the gun and deliver it back to his boss. Simple enough for most people but James does not seem to have luck on his side. His whole life appears to be one mishap after another and this does not stop once he crosses the border. Sam (Roberts) is upset with James for not getting out of his job in order to accompany her to Las Vegas. The two part ways. As Sam heads to Las Vegas in her lime-green Beetle, she is kidnapped by Leroy (Gandolfini), a sympathetic Cou"esy of D "r"mo"" Ksictures Brad and Julia go through separate thrill rides in "The Mexican." On HBO, they don't waste any time. After a quick recap of season two of the hit drama "The Sopranos," last Sunday the station decided to air The $opranos HBO Sundays at 9 p.m. .. .a feds wiretap the back - to - back new episodes of the Emmy-win- ning show. Just as the late Livia Soprano (more on her later) did- n't mince words, the show wasted no time in mov- ing on and estab- lishing new story lines for its junior season. In the season premiere, the Sopranos' base- each of the actors their moment in the spotlight and makes the time when they are together all the more worthwhile. Julia and Brad have wonderful chem- istry together. Even though a great deal of their time together is spent bantering (not fighting, mind you) back and forth, you never doubt that the two truly care for one another. There is a wonderful fight scene between their two characters at the start killer who is sent to ensure that all goes well with James and the transport of the gun. What follows is a wonderful mixture of comedy, adventure, and romance. In a movie such as this, it is easy to fall into that trap where there is simply too much going on so you never get to connect with any of the major players. This is not true of "The Mexican." Each of the char- acters is given enough development so you really get to feel involved with the plot of the movie. "The Mexican" brings us back to the adventure movies of yesteryear. However, as with most adventure movies, there are tons of twists and turns and major plot developments and "The' Mexican" seemed to almost cram too much of this into the movie. At times it was more than a little confusing to dis- cern what was going on. If you try to break "The Mexican" up into pieces it all fits together to form a very good picture, but looking back there was one element that seemed to be lacking. Part of it might have been the background story of the gun, which did not really hold a lot of interest for me. The story itself turns out to be a good one but I personally did not con- nect to it. Being that the entire movie revolves around the story of the gun made it somewhat difficult to truly get into. In the end though, "The Mexican" doesn't take itself too seriously and neither should the viewer. It's a fun ride with plenty of twists for everyone. And once again, how can you go wrong combining America's sweetheart and one of the sexiest men alive? ment, hoping to catch Tony (James Gandolfini) discussing some busi- ness on tape. For the operation, the FBI alludes to the Bada Bing, the strip club Tony and his crew fre- quent. Tony is "Der Bingle," daugh- ter Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), now at Columbia University, is "Princess Bing," etc. Anthony Jr., AKA "Baby Bing," is a high school slacker, smoking and skateboarding, struggling to learn Robert Frost. The next show focused on Meadow's new boyfriend and the death of Tony's mother. Tony is quity unhappy with Meadow's selection, a half-Jewish, half-black son . of Hollywood big shots. Needless to say, Meadow reacts harshly to Tone bigotry. Meanwhile, the biggest bane of Tony's existence is no longer alive. Livia Soprano (the late, great Nancy Marchand), brought to life via creepy computer graphics and old footage, passes away. As she ,vas planning to testify against her son, this comes as somewhat of a pleasant surprise for Tony. This week, among other subplo Christopher (Michael Imperiol becomes a made man, an official party of the Mafia family. Also, Dr. Melfi (the wonderful Lorraine Bracco) gets more involved as Toby explores a childhood trauma and starts demanding tangible results from his psychotherapy. It is pleasant to see that writer/creator David Chase is as sharp as ever. Although the parts with Livia were creepy, the rest the show remains strong, remindirn viewers why it is undoubtedly the finest show on cable, if not all of TV If, as Chase proposed, the show lasts only four seasons, he must make each and every episode count. The show will go out on top, but won't last for long. Make sure to catch a well-written show before it disap- pears like a stool pigeon at a Mafi picnic. , , 5/' q 1'' '4'y n Mario-esque gameplay and atmostphere makes 'Rayman 2' a must-have for Deuce By Matt Grandstaff Daily Arts Writer Warning: For those who have played "Rayman 2" on other systems, there is no need to read this game review; you may now go back to enjoying one of the greatest games for any system in years. Now for gainers looking for the next must-have game on the Playstation 2, look no further than Ubi Soft's lat- Grade: A est game featuring the bizarre joint-less hero, "Ravman 2: Revolution." Simply put, "Revolution" is perfect in Rayman 2: every way from graphics and sound to gameplay. Revolution In the graphics department, "Rayman 2" is the For Playstation 2 Rembrandt of 3-D platform games. Gainers are Ubi soft immersed in a world of bright colors and amazing visu- al effects that will make gainers feel like Alice did when she found herself in Wonderland. Additionally, the graphics in this game will make believers out of those who underestimated the power of the Playstation 2. Adding to the atmosphere of an already amazing title is the sound in "Rayman 2." For starters, "Rayman 2"'s soundtrack should be in a film, as the game tunes resemble those of Tim Burton films, such as "Edward Scissorhands" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas." On the negative side, the voice acting is a little annoying at first. But once fully involved in the game, however, gainers will appreciate the different personalities, especial ly if one has had a few drinks during loading times. Fortunately for gainers, "Rayman 2" isn't just pretty, the game has per- sonality to boot. As the bizarre character Rayman, your goal is to rescue your best friend Globox, a cute amphibian like creature with over 650 off- spring, from Admiral Razorbeard and his minions of pirates. While the task seems daunting, gamers will have a variety of moves and attacks. Rayman can jump, climb, swim, shoot plasma balls and more - all of which become easy to pull off with a little practice. Additionally, throughout the game are enjoyable experiences such as a level where you water ski behind a friendly whale, a roller coaster level and even areas where Rayman will ride an intriguing creature that is actually an atomic bomb. Finally the objective* puzzles and bonus stages make "Rayman 2: Revolution" a memorable gam- ing experience that can be put in the same breath with other 3-D platform classic such as Super Mario 64, Zelda: The Ocarina of Time and Banjo- Kazooie. L A x"Cfi 555': _ S C ' S/f SCx .5.S:5 Courtesy of UDi Sott Rescue your best amphibian friend in "Rayman 2." x If's Friday V P 4 Live music, qreat food,and a visit to Ancient Egypt. It's Friday-ifs what you've been waiting for all weekl March 9th * Club Friday Music: Griswolds (blues), 6:30-9:30 P.M. * FREE tour: Complements, 6:45 P.M. * FREE Performance: Art & Musicfrom Around the World,7 P.M. * Lecture: Scholars & Tourists Along the Nile: The Photographic Discovery of Ancient Egypt, 7:30 P.M. 419-2554000 www.toledomuseum.org - Made possible by QFifth Third Bank r Open every Friday, 6-io P.M. 2445 Monroe Street Toledo, OH 43620 5 o 4 SinaI Ou y waI, , ~ t t We'll pay your way! Generous Financial Aid available for UMBS Spring/Summer Classes Spring Session (May 20-June 15) General Ecology Summer Session (June 15-August 18 4 - i : Ii X 13 S cap a Y: .: i I