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MONDAY
JANUARY 7, 2002
5A
HOLIDAY MOVIE BLOW-OUT
'Fellowship of the Ring' sets a new
*standard for epic fantasy films A
By Andy TaylorFabe
Daily Film Editor *
Although comparisons to "Harry Potter and
the Sorcerer's Stone" are inevitable, a more apt
The Lord
of the
Rings: The
Fellowship
of the Ring
Grade: A
At Showcase,
Quality 16
and State
also made one for
parallel to Peter Jackson's tri-
umphant epic "Lord of the
Rings: The Fellowship of the
Ring" is "Star Wars," for
both films are about the ulti-
mate struggle between good
and evil. Although no movie
can perfectly adapt a book,
especially one as painstak-
ingly elaborate as J.R.R.
Tolkien's three-volume opus,
"Fellowship" comes close,
and stands out as one of the
best films of the year and
one of the best adaptations of
all time.
Thousands of years ago, in
the realm of Middle Earth,
the dark lord Sauron forged
many rings of power for the
peoples of the world, but he
himself that controlled all the
world? The ring, which holds all the strength and
evil of Sauron, has an intoxicating power over
anyone who tries to use it. But the ring has been
lost for roughly 3,000 years, until a Hobbit
named Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) finds it in a
cave in the Misty Mountains.
Years later, when Sauron discovers that the
ring is being kept in the Shire (the home of the
three-foot-tall Hobbits), Gandalf the Grey (Ian
McKellan), a powerful wizard and friend of
Bilbo, decides action must be taken, entrusting
the ring to Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood),
Bilbo's nephew. Along with fellow Hobbits
Sam (Sean Astin), Merry (Dominic Mon-
aghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd), Frodo begins
a long journey to destroy the ring in the fires
of Mount Doom, where the ring was forged.
Frodo and his hobbit companions are
joined by Gandalf, the Elf Legolas
(Orlando Bloom), Gimli the Dwarf
(John Rhys-Davies), the ranger Strider
(Viggo Mortensen) and Boromir (Sean
Bean), son of the Steward of Gondor.
They have much help along the way, from all
manner of creatures, such as the elves, including
Arwen (Liv Tyler) and Galadriel (Cate
Blanchett), a powerful witch who resides in the
woods.
This film has the rare quality of being able to
completely draw you in from start to finish.
Despite its near three-hour length, it is a riveting
narrative that will make you crave a second
viewing. Part of the reason for this is the intense
reality that is given to the various landscapes,
from the peaceful and hidden Shire to the dark
and foul realm Mordor, the home of Sauron.
Every craggy tree, misty river and winding
mountain road has a vitality to it that sucks you
into this fantasy world and wraps you up in every
sight, sound and smell.
The action sequences - with raging battles
between elves, men and the slimy and evil Orcs
- are breathtaking, and the computer graphics
used to simulate both the battle scenes and the
fantastic battlefields are almost flawless.
The acting is top notch, with no weak link. Ian
McKellan is perfect as Gandalf, a kind and wild-
haired wizard who has a dangerous and powerful
side that is always close to the surface but hid-
den. His face holds years of distress and hardship
as well as wisdom. He has the ability to laugh
with his eyes, and he is able to show fear without
other rings and gave him the power to rule the
ing his Mer-
lin-esque air of
mystery and
strength.
Another high
point is Christopher
Lee, who plays Saru-
man the White, a
powerful wizard who
was once Gandalf's
superior but has joined
forces with Sauron in
the hopes of increas-
ing his own power.
Lee, who is most
famous for his
Dracula movies
ourtesy o ewne inema of the 1970s, is
unbelievably creepy with his gaunt face and
severe dark eyes contrasting with his bright white
hair and cloak.
The hobbits provide comic relief that is blend-
ed flawlessly with the action. Merry's and Pip-
pin's antics, many of which are not in the original
text, are a welcome addition, and Sean Astin's
fiercely loyal Sam is his best role since the
inhaler-toting Mikey of "The Goonies."
One of the most difficult undertakings in the
movie is making all the actors look like the char-
acters that they are supposed to be, for Dwarves
are short and stout and Hobbits are even shorter,
yet non-little people play all of these roles. A
combination of camera tricks and stand-ins are
used to provide this effect, and only occasionally
is it noticeable. However, you will most likely
miss these flaws, as the film is fast paced and
has no moments that lack momentum and allow
you to notice imperfections.
One thing that people unfamiliar with the
"Lord of the Rings" books should know is that
the quest to dest-roy the ring does not end with
this film. Instead, "Fellowship of the Ring" has
more of a "The Empire Strikes Back" type end-
ing, leaving questions unanswered and fates
uncertain. The story will continue with "The Two
Towers" and "The Return of the King," which
will be released in December of 2002 and 2003.
DJ Jazzy Jeff done talked some smack
Will kSmith heads
excellent cast i'n
Mann's latest gem
Magneto in a silly hat.
" Cruise Control: Vanilla Sky
Leaves you up in the air
#I
By Wilhelmina Maurtz
Daily Arts Writer
There are a lot of things happening in "Vanilla
Sky;" some of them are real (or at least the audi-
Vanilla
Sky
Grade: B-
At Showcase
and State
ence is made to believe they
are) and some are only
dreams (or once again, at
least one is to believe that).
The movie can and does get
very confusing, but it does
something that is somewhat
rare and perhaps not always
appreciated: It makes you
think. This happens not only
while you are watching the
movie, but also long after
you have left the theater.
David Aames (Tom
Cruise) is a good-looking,
wealthy young man who
seems to have it all. He
the only one who can see anything "real" about
Aames. David floats through life and feels that
everyone else will react to things the same way he
does. He sleeps with the beautiful Julie Gianni
(Cameron Diaz), and because he doesn't want
anything more than sex out of the relationship, he
expects she feels the same way.
Brian warns David straight off that he will
never be able to appreciate the "sweet" in life
without experiencing the "sour." David shrugs off
this little but important warning until he meets
Sofia (Penelope Cruz). Despite the fact that his
friend met her first, he thinks nothing of pursuing
her. Sofia is the perfect woman to David because
she isn't like everyone else in his life. She, like
Brian, is real.
The two share a perfect evening together just
laughing, talking and cuddling. In the morning
while David is leaving her apartment, Julie, who
has been following him, offers David a ride.
Reluctantly he accepts the offer only to have Julie
go crazy and drive them both off the side of a
bridge, killing herself aryl leaving David's face
extremely disfigured. Unfortunately, this is only
the first 20 minutes of a 135 minute movie, and
there is not much more one can write about the
plot of "Vanilla Sky" without giving away impor-
tant details.
"Vanilla Sky" is a remake of a 1997 Spanish
film called "Abre Los Ojos" (Open Your Eyes).
For all intents and purposes, "Vanilla Sky" is
basically a shot-for-shot, scene-for-scene replica
of its predecessor. Both even share Penelope Cruz
as the leading lady playing the role of Sofia.
Despite these similarities, "Vanilla Sky's" director
Cameron Crowe does a better job at clearly wrap-
ping up the final scene as well as imparting an
important lesson.
"Vanilla Sky" seems to be warning the audi-
ence that things are never as good as they seem to
be, and if they are, something is wrong. What
life would be worth living without a mixture of
both the good and the bad? Could a person truly
enjoy life without knowing both sides of the
By Todd Weiser
Daily Arts Writer
"I'm a bad man, I'm a bad man."
One of the greatest compliments
that can be paid to Michael Mann's
beautiful biog-
raphy of the
beautiful boxer
Muhammad Ali
is the amazing
Au effect of irony
these words
Grade: A- create coming
At Showcase out of Ali's
andState mouth. Many
may have paint-
ed.the former
< Cassius Clay as
a bad man for
his ties to Mal-
colm X or for
his unwilling-
ness to fight in Vietnam, but Ali is
a good man; a hero - who has
brought smiles to peoples' faces in
his real life and now through Will
Smith's exquisite performance.
Will Smith is Muhammad Ali in
every facet of the man. This is
physically obvious in Smith's
weight gain of 30 pounds and
Smith's authentic boxing style in
the ring. Smith has also nailed the
voice and speech patterns of "The
Greatest." But the beauty of
Smith's performance is truly visi-
ble in the private Ali turning into
the public Ali.
While Mann ("Heat," "The
Insider") has authentically recreat-
ed some of the most important
bouts in boxing history which gave
Ali fame, it is the personal Ali,
fighting through decisions about
family, religion and boxing that is
the most powerful. The fact that
the film succeeds is due to directly
to Smith himself, because even
though he has an amazing support-
ing cast, they are there to simply
provide support to this portrait of a
man; the camera rarely leaves
Smith, usually putting his face and
thus his emotions in the forefront
of the screen.
"Ali" is not going to show every
detail or provide the names of
everyone in Ali's life; what the
film does is show the man at his
most tumultuous times during a
very important decade of his life,
1964-1974. Championship fights
with Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and
George Foreman pass through this
time just as marriages to Ali's first
three wives do. We see Ali's asso-
ciation with Malcolm X (Mario
Van Peebles) and his grief over the
assassination of the Civil Rights
leader. We also witness Ali give up
three-and-a-half years of his box-
ing prime because he will not fight
a war he does not understand when
the United States will not even
fight for Ali's people in. his own
country. And in one of the most
important and tender relationships
seen in the film, Ali's humorous
and touching friendship with
sportscaster Howard Cosell (Jon
Voight) is explored through on-air
interviews and personal, intimate
conversations.
Voight's eerily genuine portrayal
of Cosell leads the long list of
wonderful supporting characters
that fill the nearly three-hours-
long "Ali." Former comedian
Jamie Foxx shows a great talent
for mixing humor with sadness in
the role of Ali corner man Drew
"Bundini" Brown; and Nona Gaye,
daughter of singer Marvin, is
equally wonderful tackling the
largest role amo g the three wives,
that of second w:fe Belinda.
One of the few complaints for
"Ali" is that in placing such an all-
encompassing focus on Smith as
Ali, some other great actors in sup-
porting roles do not seem to get
enough screen time themselves. It
is difficult to ask a three-hour film
to be longer, but the performances
of Jeffrey Wright as Ali friend
Howard Bingham, Mykelti
Williamson as Don King, Ron Sil-
ver as trainer Angelo Dundee and
Jada Pinkett-Smith and Michael
Michelle as Ali's other wives are
so good tha w, want more of
them.
The same .a be said of Ali
himself, in that :t leaves us hungry
for more; Mar n has, geniously
crafted the story so it only contains
ten years and that it.does not
answer all our questions. Ali is
more than just a boxer and he has
meant so much to the growth of
this country. Not everyone under-
stands this, but everyone should.
"Ali" warms your tastebuds for
more knowledge of Ali's youth and
then Ali's present. "Ali" is not a
perfect film, but being great is
good enough in a profile of "the
Greatest."
appears to be superficial with everyone, including
his best friend Brian (Jason Lee). Brian may be
Courtesy of Paramount
Tom buyin' comics from Banky,
coin? If you could choose a life with only the
good, would you want it? These are all interesting
questions, and "Vanilla Sky" does its best to
struggle with them. "Abre Los Ojos," however
leaves things much more open to audience inter-
pretation.
Whatever the issues - whether it be the dreams
versus reality, tricky plot twists or the overall sense of
confusion - the viewer is called upon to try to fol-
low along and make sense of it all before the credits
roll. If you
are left up
in the air at
the end,
you will be
in good
company.
A look at the
underside of U of M
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