14 A - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 5, 2001 ARTS A few goo SI lndy TaylorFabe and Lyle Henretty Dail drts Editors IT-ockbusters. Teen sex romps. Q 'k solid comedies. Usually, these =asaples of the summer film crop. <1Wkver, a blight seems to have rav- ig-d this summer's offerings, with au-par action movies flooding the heat'ers along with jackass comedies thatgo beyond the normal accepted Tet of stupidity. Fortunately, there . rv a few old stand-bys and new - ~~~~~~~~~~~~~..:::. . .."i:?v}t~Y;{"i ;....~~~ ""t,$ :t:::%r"%"ii: %:::i::%::% :iLt; :::, t} :<:?":%:i . .'"4 ,.: . 7I% ti ; '% : ' ° '' '; . : ; " : :. .. : : .;; .t ; "? :i J . i : .' :i$ i ii d films slip through the cracks to save a summer of tripe faces that came through for those of us that continued to go to the theaters after "Tomb Raider." The following, are the few diamonds in the rough that kept us entertained and moved in a summer of schlock. 1. Shrek - It's a rare treat to find a film that truly entertains little kids, college students and adults. In the grand tradition of "Pee Wee's Big Adventure," "Goonies" and "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," "Shrek" manages to bridge the gap between sophisticated humor and fart jokes. Mike Myers lends his voice as the hermit-like ogre Shrek, who is forced to come to the aid of all of the fairy tale creatures of the forest when Lord Farquaad exiles them to Shrek's swamp. In the process, he begins to appreciate that there is more to life than making candles out of his ear- wax. The animation in the film is phenomenal, and the abundant and sometimes blatant cracks on Disney are fun to pick out. "Shrek" is a fur- ther example of how animation films don't necessarily have to have lack- luster plots and dialogue like some movies this summer that I could name. (I'll give you a hint; it begins with the letter "Final Fantasy." 2. Ghost World - Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson appear to be stock teen angst characters and show the reality and humanity of being "alternative." Steve Buscemi turns in the most touching performance of his career as a middle-aged schlub who befriends Birch's Enid. After their high-school graduation, the two girls plan to move in together and start a life fighting the establishment. Though as Johansson realizes that a job in a coffee shop is necessary to make a living, and Enid sees only Bucemi's Seymour as her future, the trio must face their fears of living out life on Earth. The acting is tremen- dous, and Terry Zwigoff's ("Crumb") careful direction keeps the movie from slipping into the "coming of angsty-age" schmaltz that often plagues films of this sort. Just as the independent movemept is becoming about as alternative as Coca Cola, it's nice to see a film that takes its own path and doesn't end on a happy note. 3. Kiss of the Dragon - In the era of wire fighting and computer enhanced effects, a good old fash- ioned, street fighting movie has all but been forgotten. Leave it to Jet Li, the small but unbelievably tough martial artist (and this is without hyperbole) whose moves are so fast that he blurs the film. In this film, Li plays a cop who is enlisted to help French police in a sting but is double crossed and must take to he streets to survive. With one of the best opening scenes in recent film, this film sets a new standard for fight and chase scenes to which all future ones should be compared. The violence in the film is extensive and graphic, but courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Jet Li (center) dishes it out to some rude Frenchmen in "Kiss of the Dragon." YPSILANTIMIC H Champion's Fitness Club 20,000 lbs. of available weight The area's largest workout floor State of the art ICARIAN free weights & machines QUINTON 3.0 CLUBTRA Treadmills MAX CLIMB Steppers TECTRIX - Bike Max Bikes PRECOR - Transports Non-slip rubber flooring 15 foot high ceilings Proshop (clothing, supplements, drinks) AWARD WINNING EXPERIENCED TRAINERS STOP IN... YOU'LL BE AMAZED Hours: Mon-Fri 6 am- 10pm Sat8am-8pm Sun 9am - 6 pm Student Rates: One Semester Only $99 Sept. 1, 2001 - Dec. 31, 2001 w f I Free Pass Champion's Gym & Fitness Club Limit - 1 visit per person Treadmills Bikes Steppers Recumbent Bikes Cybex Machines Tanning Boxing Pro Shop Award Winning Trainers e "Champion's Gym for the Champion in You!" MICHIGAN AVE tRO4JN TREE EtISWOWP4 RD. WA HTENAW AV (734) 572-8500 2243 EisworthYpUmnt4,MI 1 .-94 MAPE~ z VILLAE~. _~~PAZA 5;fACMJM BLVD. MAPLE RD. (734) 913-8500 301 N. Maple Rd., Ann Arbor, MI EISENHOWER PLAZA STADAJM 8LYD~ (734)913-8501 1 952 5 Inusttia., Ann Arbor, MI D School Year - $179 2001 - May 1, 2002 Sept. 1, Registrar's Bulletin Board WOLVERINE ACCESS http://wolverineaccess.umich.edu/ " " S Registration Grades Class Schedule Class Search " Address Updates " Academic Report " Account Statement " Transcript Ordering " (Unofficial Transcript) Financial Aid - www.finaid.umich.edu REGISTRAR'S OFFICE WEBSITE See our website www.umich.edu/-regoff for information related to the following: Diploma, Disenrollment, Term Grade Reports, Drop/Add Deadlines, Final Exam Schedule, Honors Convocation, Residency Guidelines, Student Directory, Student Rights, Student Records, Service Locations, Hours, Term Withdrawals, Touch Tone Grades, Tuition and Fees, Transcripts, Academic Calendar, Registration Information and Course Information. STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL REGISTRATION " Obtain uniqname and password " To check on course availability, Access class search through Wolverine Access. " Complete registration work sheet. " Follow directions found in the Time Schedule or on the Web on the Registrar's home page: http://www.umich.edu/-regoff/ " Register for classes using Class Numbers. " Check your schedule and tuition on Wolverine Access. " If you obtain an Electronic Override for a class, you must also access Registration and add the class. *Law, Medical and Dental students contact your school for information regarding these processes: www.law.umich.edu www.med.umich.edu www.dent.umich.edu TOUCH-TONE GRADE REPORTING* On campus - 8-1645 Local off campus -998-1645 Long distance off campus - 1 (734) 998-1645 Courtesy of the Detroit Institute of Arts Mumia Abu-Jamal, from "Portraits from Death Row Series," taken by Lou Jones. 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