10 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 4, 2002 ARTS - Vin Diesel and director Cohen make 'XXX' pure stupid fun By Luke Smith to Xander's marionette throughout all of "XXX," manip- Daily Arts Editor ulating Cage to follow orders without (gasp) ever know- ing he's taking orders. Imitation is the highest form of flattery. With "XXX," Diesel plays Xander Cage with a wink and a nod, director Rob Cohen set out to imitate everything great clearly having fun with the role and laughing his way to about a James Bond movie, and replace everything that the bank. Anarchy99's leader Yorgi is acted by Marton is not-so great about one with - yes, Csokas and with a schlocky popcorn flick extreme sports. Ike "XXX" viewers should simply be happy Vin Diesel and his shaved pate play Xan- his accent was consistent. der Cage, extreme sport aficionado, guru of *** Situations become complicated in the film death defying stunts and a subculture sex when Xander Cage is outed as a secret symbol (the flick has since turned Diesel XXX agent, after infiltrating deep within Anar- into 'hunk of the month'). Cage is some- chy99. He employs the cool as ice Yelena, an what of a rogue, hijacking the car of a Cali- A Quality 16 Anarchy99 member herself (played by fire- fornia Senator in the film's opening scene. cracker Asia Argento) to help usurp the ter- The ruddy rebel then drives the auto off a Revolution Studios rorist group. bridge, parachuting to safety all while film- Writer Rich Wilkes (most notably 1994's ing the whole fiasco for his website. From the beginning, "Airheads") perfectly steals, borrows, pillages, whatever, "XXX" is hardly taking itself seriously. Xander Cage is all of the major elements of a spy film. "XXX" is in no action-packed death-defying stunts, reckless abandon, way shape or form a masterpiece. It is an entertaining furious libido - an embryonic secret-agent man. summer popcorn flick and better than any of the Pierce Who better to turn the fast fetus extreme sport-er into a Brosnan Bond flicks. While imitation is the highest form trained government agent, designed to infiltrate the nar- of flattery, it is more impressive when the imitator sur- cissistic and self-serving Anarchy99 than Augustus Gib- passes the source (when the most comparative similar is bons (Samuel L. Jackson). Gibbons plays puppet master recent "007" joints). And "XXX" does just that. Not Kate Bosworth surfing and not a good movie. 'Blue Crush' has babes, waves, boards and nothing else good By Luke Smith Daily Arts Editor The trailers made it look promis- ing. After a two-minute long look "Blue Crush" should've been a cheesy camp-culture-flick in the vein of '80s classic "The Karate Kid." Surfing, liberated girl power-based one liners, big honkin' waves, girls in bikinis and most importantly, P.O.D's crap-rock masterwork "Alive," the sum of its parts pointed to a mediocre storyline aided by a hand- ful of incredible pipeline-intense action shots. Based on Susan Orlean's magazine article "Surf Girls of Maui," "Blue Crush" follows a snippet of time in the life of a previously promising Bikini Wa (Braz CLOSE TO CAMPi To make an ap r Lp, surf-princess Anne Marie (Kate helmed by her ex-boyfriend (think Bosworth).. Marie's talents on a Johnny, and the rest of Cobra Kai, board are heralded from the film's but instead of mopeds, their chariots opening, and a handful of choice are surf- of flashbacks let view- boards) and the reme- ers in on her accident in dy to that conflict the water. Hence, the seems to be love NFL conflict between nature Pro Bowl QB Matt and Anne Marie is BLUE CRUSH Tollman (Matthew established. Bosworth is Davis). believable (certainly not At Showcase and All of these ingredi- as a surfer, for her stunt Quality 16 ents are spiced by double's slickness in Universal Anne Marie's gal-pal large action sequences Eden (Michelle is undercut by wobbly- Rodriguez) the closest legged attempts at light surfing in thing in the film to a menstruating the film) but a Ralph Macchio she Mr. Miyagi. Eden incessantly hounds is not. Anne Marie to train. Eden attempts Anne Marie's physical conflict to live vicariously through Anne enters when a group of male surfers Marie's skills. A training involving a jet ski briefly reminds of cinema training montages on beaches past, most notably the scrawny form of Daniel-san at the break of day. xing " Full Leg Waxing The film climaxes at the Pipeline Ilian waxing available) tournament, and the outcome is as Faials predictable as the rest of the story. Some clues: injury, no Mr. Miyagi [IS WITH PLENTY OF FREE PARKING- rubdown, more surfing. Some of the poinlmeae call: 913-5557 visuals here are flatout impressive posng the question how d they film Anne 1that?" However, despite the beauty of these images, nothing tops the sil- houette of a crane kick. m'is 61t1 As NVED TO AWOW ABOVT CA6EMST9T WtYGRE&r His lOOK. Buy a used book and all the important stuff is already highlighted. We have access to the largest inventory of textbooks on campus, so you're sure to find what you need for all your classes. Stop by for affordably priced books broken in by brainiacs. Hello this is Asia Argento. May I take your order? Eastwood ruins 'Blood Work' with poor acting and directing By Jeff Dickerson Daily Arts Editor It's amazing what you can do with a Hollywood legend. With just one verteran actor you can get the most average script turned into a big budg- et film. The Hollywood legend is Clint Eastwood and the movie is "Blood Work." Clint Eastwood directs and stars as Terry McCaleb, a recently retired FBI profiler who is forced out of law enforcement by a heart transplant. Turns out his new heart came from a victim of a playful serial killer who McCaleb has been after for years. I U The sister of the victim/donor fidential" script, but it seems here as (Wanda De Jesus) wants the killer if he wrote "Blood Work," based on brought to justice, and naturally the the best-selling book of the same grizzled McCaleb ends name by Michael Con- up in bed with the * Mnelly, while in a Holly- woman despite being wood-induced coma. five times her age. * The acting across the The plot is an odd BLOOD WORK board is painful; none combination of a more so than Latino "Dirty Harry" movie At Showcase and "comedian" Paul written in the form of a Quality 16 Rodriguez, who can "Murder, She Wrote" give the most passive episode, with Eastwood Warner Bras. audience member an taking the place of the itchy trigger finger. hard-nosed Angela Lansbury. Angelica Huston, McCaleb's cardiol- Screenwriter Brian Helgeland won ogist and surrogate mother, an an Oscar for his brilliant "L.A. Con- always commanding actress as seen in last year's "The Royal Tenen- baums," seems lost in the mundane detective story. Even more surprising is just how EXPPOSSdeplorable Eastwood is as both an actor and director. His performance rtatioas Terry McCaleb is little more than Eastwood doing a bad impression of ecial Rate for Students himself. The man who once ruled the cinema with "The Good, The Lowest FARE Around Bad and the Ugly" just cannot direct actors, and he seems to have lost any 1665 of the skill he so exquisitely showed us in his masterpiece "Unforgiven." Don't bother spending money or even thinking about spending money on "Blood Work." Jeff Daniels turns out to be the serial killer, in a plot "MetroDetroit Hotels, twist so obvious it's ridiculous. " U of M Hospital & Campuses There, now you really don't need to see it. AA Airport Shuttle Specializing In Airport Transpo Sp For Reservations Cai734304 aaairportshuttleexpress.com IZVLSIED BOOK & SUPPLY 317 S. State St. 549 E. 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