Otnemem ... Come see Oscar reject "Memento" at the Michigan tonight at 7 p.m. ARrS michigandaily.com MONDAY APRIL 15, 2002 5A Actors cannot steer 'Lanes' on right road Paxton jump-starts tired horror genre with creepy 'Frailty By Todd Weiser Daily Arts Writer "Changing Lanes" forces you to quickly buckle up and swerve away from a few obstacles, but stretches of road need new pavement and some- times you feel you took the shortest course instead of the scenic route. It's difficult to criticize a film that defies so many expectations but its strengths are also tied to its faults. Directed by Roger Michell ("Not- ting Hill"), "Changing Lanes" is not the standard American major-studio CHAN film. Despite the heavy star power LA the film boasts, it never relies on At Show special effects wizardry or mam- Quali moth camera exercises that serve no purpose, but instead focuses on the Param well-written, very human characters at the heart of the story. This realistic (well as successful shot lawye Affleck, recoverin ance wor (Samuel Fiction") t other, lit introduction to hot- er Gavin Banek (Ben "Phantoms") and g alcoholic, insur- ker Doyle Gibson L. Jackson, "Pulp he two run into each erally in a Friday By Andy Taylor-Fabe Daily Film Editor Sometimes it takes new blood to bring new life to the movies. Bill Paxton's directorial debut, "Frailty," is a fascinating hybrid of the "Sixth Sense" style nouveau- ending is somewhat predictable, the storytelling is highly entertain- ing, and Paxton's directing is prom- ising. However, the story suffers from the should've-ended-the- movie-five-minutes-ago syndrome, (also known as "Planes, Trains and Automobile" disorder). There is a real as Hollywood gets these days) portrait of people forced to go to extreme lengths, while coming to grips with their actions at the same time, makes the main characters, and even small- er supporting roles, so human that it becomes increasingly difficult to root for a certain charac- ter or even a definitive outcome. In the past decade, Hollywood has elevated the goodness of every one of its protagonists and completely demonized their antagonists. In "Changing Lanes," the viewer can't even decide who the antagonist is. As soon as a viewer becomes disgusted by a character's action that character either shows the kinder side of himself or simply defends his actions with a soliloquy on how the world works and his role in it. These personal monologues simultaneously draw the viewer in while pushing them away. The content of each speech is sincere and fascinating yet the length of the speech gives the viewer time to check his watch or in some other way temporari- ly distance himself from the action onscreen. The reversals of character also achieve this bi- effect, while making characters more interesting they also happen so suddenly that the viewer can feel the writer forcing this ambiguity upon the audience. The intelligencein "Changing Lanes" comes in its execution, not its originality. After a brief but t morning fender- bender on the FDR in New York * City. Both are rushing to the 'GING courthouse, NES Banek is helping his company case and acquire owner- ty 16 ship of a philan- ount t h r o p i s t s company from the deceased owner's grand- daughter and Gibson is trying to retain custody of his two kids. Gibson likes to do things by the law (swapping insur- ance information) but the lawyer (yes, the lawyer) has no time for silly things, And you will knowi instead offering a blank check and the doom-to- be-repeated words, "Better luck next time." Banek will regret those words very soon as during the post-crash exchange he mistakenly gave Gibson a very important file. This file, the film's "Macguffin," drives the second act full of vicious backstabbing and societal realizations. If Banek does not get it back, he will lose his part- nership at the firm, and possibly his wife (Aman- da Peet), the daughter of a head partner (Sydney Pollack) at the firm. Gibson wants those 20 min- utes back that decided his court case in favor of his wife, Gibson's wish is less realistic but his goals change once Banek starts playing dirty, illegally destroying Gibson's credit history to induce the folder's return. Also helping move the story and character development along are William Hurt ("Dark City") as Gibson's Alcoholic's Anonymous spon- sor and Toni Collette ("The Sixth Sense") as another lawyer at Banek's firm that he once had an affair with. thriller genre and grit- ty, axe-in-the-head horror movies. This tale of murder and the battle between the divine and the demonic is a breath of fresh air in a genre of teen- slasher flicks and sub- standard remakes of older horror films. Courtesy of Paramount my name is The Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you. The entire cast is excellent. The always superb Jackson is wonderful here, creating a very puz- zled character that cannot handle his own out- bursts while immediately regretting them. The not-always-competent Ben Affleck is excellent here. Neither character gets the majority of the focus, so it is difficult to side with either man but Affleck's tortured, depressing lifestyle is the more interesting, novel of the two and Affleck makes him an unpredictable, borderline-sympa- thetic character. So easy to embrace due to its uniqueness, "Changing Lanes" becomes even more irritating when it fails. During many instances in the film, the viewer might find himself laughing but unsure whether he is laughing with or at the film. Sadly, it is at, not with, the over-the-top impracti- cal jumps in logic the film sometimes makes. Moreover, "Changing Lanes" builds and builds without ever reaching a heightening climax. While this is uncommon and daring, it is also unsatisfying for a viewer. shot (which I will not mention here) that would have been a great ending, but the movie drags on for another five minutes. The atmosphere of the movie is intrigu- ing; it mixes the sleepy south with a FRAILTY At Showcase and Quality 16 Lions Gate Late one rainy night at the FBI Headquarters in Houston, a strange man appears, asking for the agent (Powers Boothe) in charge of the investigation of the "God's Hand" murders, an unsolved string of seri- al killings. The stranger, who iden- tifies himself Fenton Meiks (Mathew McConaughey), says that his brother, Adam, is the killer, and Fenton then begins to tell the bizarre and unbelievable story behind the murder. In the late '70s, in a small Texas town, Fenton and Adam (played by Matthew O'Leary and Jeremy Sumpter) live with their widowed dad (Bill Paxton), a good-hearted mechanic who loves his sons. Their idyllic life comes to a halt when Dad has a vision in the mid- dle of the night. He is visited by an angel who tells him that must "destroy" demons who are roaming the earth in human form. Both are initially terrified, but while Adam quickly accepts his dad's story as the truth, Fenton is convinced that his dad is making up the visions and the commands from God. His dad's erratic behavior intensifies as he begins to collect weapons sent down by God and murders a woman with an axe who he believes is a demon. Fenton and Adam are forced to live a night- marish existence, as their dad forces them to help himbury the bodies and hopes that God will send them a vision so they can help him in his demon-slaying. As Dad says, "this is our job now." To give away any more of the plot wouldn't be right, as there are plot twists galore. Although the Gothic ambience that is thoroughly creepy. Also thrown in is the feeling of a horror movie, with shrieking sound effects, dark, tomb-like cellars and demonic visions that recall classic entries in the genre. The violence in the film, which mostly consists of people getting hacked with axes and bludgeoned with pipes, occurs mostly off-screen, and are actually quite tasteful (considering that it involves hacking of necks). Instead of the actual murder, you see the kids' reactions, which gives you a much more tangible sense of their terror and sense of helplessness. Paxton gives an excellent per- formance as the disturbed and driv- en dad. He conveys the absolute belief of a tortured but confident fanatic, and despite,his treatment of his children, which is often frightening, he does not fall into the cliche of an abusive father, because he expresses the fact that he really does love his children, as he says, "more than (his) own life.' In addition to his acting prowess, Paxton has shown his ability as a director. With the help of cine- matographer Bill Butler and Editor Arnold Glassman, Paxton gives it a fast pace but keeps it sleepy, and the combination of washed-out light and the utter blackness of shadow is a compelling sight. This film is a good move for McConaughey, since it allows him to explore his darker, more omi- nous side. Hopefully, his creepy performance in the film will give him more opportunities to explore his sinister side and be in fewer schmaltz-fests like "The Wedding Planner." 'Stein' offers new twist on romantic theme By Ryan Blay Daily Arts Writer Upon their first meeting, free spirited art gallery assistant Helen Cooper (Heather Juer- gensen) asks Jessica Stein (Jennifer West- feldt) what she does for fun. Deadpan, Jessica replies "Nothing. I KISSIN don't." As humorous as S the exchange is, it's S sadly true for Jessica. Jessica is a beautiful, Twentieth smarmy wannabe writer with writer's block and a history with Jessica:'Still, he calls her "Stein." - After dating several less-than- classy men - a dorky accountant, G JESSICA STEIN Theater Century Fox a pathetic ladies' man, a man who uses, words like self-defecating instead of self-depre- ciating - Jessica decides on a whim to answer a girl-seeking- girl personal ad. This is how she stumbles upon Helen. Like Jes- sica, she has decided well-read, charming girl from New York. So naturally she is single. She works at the New York Tribune during the day, with Josh Meyers (Scott Cohen). He's a to experiment with lesbianism. The three men in her life, fulfilling her different needs, just aren't enough. While Jessica is extremely reluc- tant, Helen's patience wins her over and they begin a slow progression toward an actual sexual relationi ship. But Jessica's hesitance to come out upsets Helen. When Jessica does not invite Helen to her brother's upcoming wedding, for fear of let- ting her devout Jewish parents and her friends know about her relation- ship, Helen is heartbroken. Can Jessica decide about her sex- uality, or will her neuroticism pre- vent her from making a decision'? This is her dilemma. Because her character is so charismatic, we want to know what will happen between her and Helen. Their relationship is a thing of beauty, thanks to Charles Herman-Wurmfeld, directing only his second film. Herman-Wurmfeld astutely maintains the balance between Stein's work, the couple's relationship and Jessica'spfamily life. The catchy soundtrack, featur- ing jazz greats Ella Fitzgerald and Billy Holiday gives the film a New York feel and a fresh feel. In addition, the relatively unknown cast is charming. Juer- gensen and Westfeldt make a beauti- ful couple, while Cohen does well as the Hemingway-esque (in terms of alcohol more than talent) Meyers. Westfeldt and Juregensen took the added burden of co-writing the film. This may explain the chemistry between the two, and the wonderful, real dialogue. Consider Living in the ICC STUDENT If the City cleans up 1H OUSING CO-OPS Our 19 houses have from 12-53 your messy propery common is a desire to work together to create n affordable live. work, cat and May.Y 0 U are charged with the cleanup fees! Fall/Winter Contracts So, please pick up your litter Approx.$Keep your property area neat Spring/Summer Contracts Don't abandon furniture at the curb Approx. $140-$240/month Help Ann Arbor maintain a Clean Community Inldsuiiis anr.prig oilactivities and all the food you can eat. 662.4414 For more information, call 99-GREEN - 994-7336 StudentOwned atically Run or visit the city's web at www a2gov org ~ ~: .v: /.-'-..w.- ~. sr^---" i ~ -^ YttP W 4A^^wt^w-3 ~ ~3 ~ ~ ~- Constantly making the viewer laugh out loud, "Stein" is a charm- ing romantic comedy that doesn't resolve to sappy dialogue or pulling-at-the-heartstrings plot lines ("You've Got Mail," anyone?). It's a finely written film around the level of last year's surprise hit, "Amelie." It shouldn't be labeled as a date film or film for lesbians. It's simply a light, delightful comedy. Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Girls, kissing, in a mainstream movie. God bless America. 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