I 4 Tuesday October 21, 2003 michigandaily.com artseditor@michigandaily.com ARTS 10." By Ryan Lewis Daily Film Editor RYAN LEWIS Screener ban to hurt industry His brown leather jacket, signa- ture fedora and cracking bullwhip have achieved cultural-icon status. Known the world over as Indiana Jones, the character created by the collective genius of Spielberg, Lucas and Ford, the archaeologist's adventure trilogy has been boxed up, digitally remastered and loaded with special fea- tures providing " a veritable grail The for any Indy Adventures A recent uproar has swept through the Hollywood community, nce again separating major studio players from the so-called inde- pendents of the film world. No, the stu- dios haven't started buying up theaters again and muscling the little giants out of town. The big boys have pooled their efforts together to shut down the evil piracy network that has arisen from ... award screeners? Yep, those little DVDs and videos that production companies send out en masse come award season to mem- bers of the Academy have been banned by the powerful Motion Pic- ture Association of America, and the independent studios have presented their opposition in one mighty accord. Seeing as how almost nobody else in the world has any notion of what these packages mean to the studios that don't have the influence or mar- keting power of a Disney or Para- mount, it behooves me to explain just why this decision has caused such a commotion in Tinseltown. Let's take a look at the arguments presented by each side. MPAA and the major studios: Screeners have become a major liability as their presence prior to the market release on home video has led to tremendous piracy that cre- ates a severe drop in DVD and VHS profits. Independent film companies: Most members of the Academy won't have the time to go see our films in the- aters, so these screeners are necessary in order for our projects to ever be con- sidered for an Oscar. Now, it's important to understand exactly how ridiculous the screener ban is and how out of proportion the minor independents have blown the situation. For one, copyright infringement due to the rerecording of screeners is the least of the MPAA's piracy problems. The true problem lies in the newfound capa- bilities of DVD burning, where people can easily replicate their home video collection and pass it freely between friends. Under this consideration, the ban can be seen as a ploy to push inde- pendent companies without the market- ing power of major studios out of business because they will lose support in awards voting - especially since the biggest players in the MPAA's decision are seven major studios along with New Line and some others, with its 'And now ... biggest signature coming from Mira- max's Harvey Weinstein. Looking at it from the other perspec- tive, we can see where this poses a tremendous threat to the ongoing credi- bility and power of the independent features. Knocking out screeners would prevent much of the academy at large from viewing the massive amounts of films before the voting deadline, and they would therefore be ousted from consideration. This is truly an under- standable position. However, when considering the last seven years of Academy Awards, there is a dominant trend to nominate maybe a single independent film in the Best Picture category, and you would have to search meticulously to find any nominations at all through the early 1990s. In fact, there has never been an independent film that took home the Best Picture Award in Oscar history. Sure, there is the possi- bility that an independent will win in the future, but based on past statis- tics, the outlook is gloomy. Not only that, but most independent films are hardly that anymore. Many of the so-called independent companies exist under the banner of a larger media conglomerate, such as Sony Pictures Classics, Fine Line and Dimension. Plus, almost all of the independent films that have received any nomina- tions have also found wide release throughout the country. The true shame in the matter is that this pitiless skirmishhas put theissue of quality filmmaking on the back- burner. Major productions have been reduced to a majority of sequels, remakes, or "re-imaginations." Maybe the studios are truly concerned that their films have started to fall second- tier to the rising quality of independ- ent films. Regardless, this ban is an arbitrary assertion of the MPAA's power that actually has little power to affect the more important issues plaguing the film industry today. Screeners or no screeners, Miramax will still probably have at least one Best Picture nod every year and an independent label will still most likely never see that little golden man stand- ing in its personal shrine. fanatic. Brought to cinemas in 1981 with "Raiders of the Lost Ark," of Indiana Jones Paramount the first flick featuring Jones, the idea was an instant success. Spawn- ing two sequels and influencing countless films to follow, Spielberg's most adventurous work is some of the director's finest. "Raiders," "The Temple of Doom" and "The Last Crusade," all center on the archeo- logical misadventures of a would-be James Bond college professor embodied by Harrison Ford. The four-DVD set allows each of the films to be seen in their full, unedited-for-political-correctness versions. Widescreen formatting and George Lucas' signature THX sound enhance the already near- perfect action movies. Simply hav- ing the ability to finally watch the movies on DVD all in a row should be enough to entice a purchase, but it only gets better with the supple- mental bonus materials disc. With over three hours of "Indi- FOUR-DISC ANTHOLOGY DOES documentaries on the making of all three films, the package con- tains all the tidbits of trivia and neat facts that the DVD creators could possibly unearth. Taking an expedition into this disc has Spiel- berg and Lucas discussing just how similar "Raiders" is to "Star Wars," Harrison Ford showing that he's really not afraid of snakes, bugs or rats and you can even see Selleck auditioning for the Indiana Jones role. It is truly interesting to learn just how many characters received their namesakes from real-life dogs. Adding to the already overflow- ing wealth of goodies in the docu- mentaries are four intriguing features on the light, sound, stunts and music that made "Jones" so memorable. There are also exclu- ries of that dog. nal trailers to round out the more than pleasing list. Finally, a package fit for the beloved archeologist digs deeper into the many facets of "Indiana Jones" than has ever been explored. My soul's prepared, how's yours? Movie: ***** Picture/Sound: ***** ana Jones" special features and an original casting video of Tom sive DVD-ROM content plus origi- Features: ***** Cameron's Dak' DVD draws dose to serles 9 Adam Rottenberg Daily Arts Writer James Cameron's "Dark Angel" lasted only two seasons on the FOX network, but DVD has allowed fans to relive the sci-fi adventure. Season two picks up with Max (Jessica Alba) searching for her fellow survivors of a military experiment in a post-apoc- alyptic Seattle. Most episodes show ,off the large budget with use of elab- orate action sequences and special effects, but Cameron and company failed to make truly memorable char- acters. Alba was once Hollywood's "It-girl," but her lack of emotional punch has led her to drop almost completely off the map ("Honey" does not look like it will be the answer either). While the pic- ture is clear and Dark Angel: the original tele- The vision aspect Complete ratio is retained, Second the series was Season broadcast in the 16:9 widescreen FOX aspect for high definition owners, which is a superi- or format. The soundtrack is Dolby Digital and is superior than the sound found in even the original airings. The extras are average for a TV release with select commentary tracks and three behind-the-scenes features. "Dark Angel" is enjoyable, but never achieved the success of other female-led action dramas because it lacked the wittiness of "Buffy" and the thrills of "Alias." Cameron has created memorable science fiction in his films; however, he was unable to defend his self-proclaimed "King of the World" title with the failure of "Dark Angel." - Lewis can be reached at lewisra@umich.edu Movie: *** Picture/Sound: **** Features: ** 'for French success By Hussain Rahim Daily Arts Writer Veteran French director Claude Lelouch's newest film, "And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen," proves there are a few reasons left to like the French. Lelouch sneaks in a globetrotting gem of a movie with an exotic set of locales And Now ... and an incredible cast. Ladies and Valentin, played effortlessly Gentlemen by Jeremy Irons, is a debonair . English jewel thief (what other At theater type is there) and Jane Lester, a Canal+ troubadour nightclub singer played by the stunning Patricia Kass, are inextricably linked by the desire to escape withering relationships and intense memory blackouts. Their paths cross when a set of bar dates coincide with Valentin's yacht crash in Morocco. Suffering from the same medical condition, momentary amnesia, they find solace in each other. This film is distinctly French with its character- driven focus and attention to nuance, all while lur- ing you into complacency with its beautiful jazz score. With the use of a cut narrative, flashbacks in muted tones, indistinct dream sequences and the fading to black and white to illustrate memory blackouts, this film demands an awareness rarely required in American cinema. Using their states of amnesia as a tool to free the characters from their pasts and begin anew as well as have them black out at moments of extreme drama may appear as a bargain basement means to generate suspense, but it succeeds in cre- ating the dreamlike and fluid style this film demands. At times, the movie meanders to its destination, with an overindulgence for the beautiful milieus and admittedly incredible cinematography over S HORT T AL(E5 VAIUS ARTISTS.....Contextualized as au~ this.>. SCH~OOL rnFROCKM- MsCot )C alb n is a success7T~~4e- FROM ANT)INSPIRED PY "TIE ing of.classick ck R IIr a SMOTION II Rnc done and ultimael' int r" Ai < ATLANTIC RECORDS but containsVanoeigh Yo rnararikapora-ics, Fresh tracks from . -ng classic rock inz film. h esadteBakKyra music never settles in: Th.e aud1-..............mbut eengra en......vitaly hasoutside eape- individual contritj~ionst th riences already associated -with \h ndT-excnt yk thetrck, ad hebans av sng cyle No Vc yf4h been caonized to the jx oitif fictitious baard, _6:iy, it 'ts> infallibility "Sc~iool fo i "----th su dra ' h ms: t both as a movie and a soun:track a.thoughtful and sk ifit e-uxo -'exists primnarilyfo .wo rea-''sncbtomsarsas": sons: to further perpetuate' the tepid and terribleyonried ; rock'n'roll myth, anto a. . shitload of cs.-nrwV atr 0 Courtesy of Canal + Is that a picture of Mulder in a Speedo? meaningful development. The characters' slow banter hampers the flow in a few instances. Detractions aside, this film stands as unique in tone, skeptical yet romantic, and as a poem to life. Lelouch's love of this world is infectious and illus- trates a dream-like ideal of redemption, romanti- cism, and humanism all with a fine elegance. 0 1 1 i - - The Most Important Exam You'll Ever Take At U of M Q #G n exce 0~#e pla lln ° 3e1A e ould ;ar c enC Quicken Loans and Rock Financial are "All of the above."As the leading online provider of home loans, we're revolutionizing the mortgage industry with quick and easy home financing. We work hard. We play hard. And, we're looking for energetic, creative people for our outstanding sales force as well as other great opportunities. With our advanced technology, mind-blowing benefits and perks, unlimited earning potential, empowering company philosophy, intensive and ongoing training, fast-paced, professional and ................ tf ,r adYnG lrl'