The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition -fall 2003 - 7D Begby and Payne's 'About SCHMibT shows lighter side of Jack By Jeff Dickerson Daily Arts Editor x X., MOVIE REVIEW A After he gets finished fighting this battle, Ledger is going to go home and sit In front of the TV, and cook and clean shit. Ledger dicusses'eaters', Carer By Todd Weiser Daily Film Editor When Heath Ledger sits down to promote his new film "The Four Feathers" one would not expect that ensuing con- versation to include references to "Police Academy" and a discussion on the difficulty of acquiring Foster's, the self- proclaimed beer of Australia, in his home country. But then again, Ledger is only 23 and he likes to take part in the same things other people his age do. "I never sit around and think about my career that much, Ledger admits. "I'm a pretty lazy person. I mean once I hang up the phone I'm gonna go home and sit in front of the TV and, ya know, cook and clean my shit. I don't really sit around and get all calculated about everything." Ledger won't let his superstardom get to his head, purposely avoiding the hundreds of websites devoted to the young Aussie star of "A Knight's Tale" and "The Patriot." "I don't have an e-mail address, and I've. never seen any of (the websites). I hang out with my best friends that have been my best friends since I was three." But Ledger's Clark Kent-like vision of his own life is anything but the truth. Not many people his age get to spend months{ in the beautiful deserts of Morocco or play-kissing some of the world's most beautiful women, such as Kate Hudson, his co-star in "Four Feathers" and past film lovers Julia Stiles and Shannyn Sossamon. In his new role, Ledger gets to play antique dress-up once again, commanding the role of a young British officer Harry Haversham during the end of the 19th century. But the movie was not just playing war as Harry makes the dif- ficult decision to desert the military as they ship out to a battle he doesn't understand. The intriguing character, along with the charm of one of his favorite directors brought him to the project. "Initially, it was Shekhar Kapur (the film's director). I was and still am a huge fan. And secondly, just the character and his journey is so epic, that he really starts in one place and ends in another." He continues: "I was curious about this character because on paper, and in the day and the time, he was labeled a coward. It really read black and white;.he was cowardly on paper. He did- n't want to go to war, and he was using his wife as an excuse ... it was very straightforward, but in that cowardly act I found him to be courageous, because he was standing up for what he believed in he was standing against a systematic and regimen- ' tal lifestyle that he'd been spoon-fed his whole life." Star Ben Affleck fliv Ledger recalls the actual production with fond emotions, despite hours of being put in makeup and filming in the hot temperatures, he still came away with a great shooting experi- ence on and off the set. For one scene, Ledger got to live out that epic dream of crossing the desert, making that grand journey that has been so beautifully filmed in numerous classic films, most sig- nificantly in "Lawrence of Arabia," a film "The Four Feath- ers" has been compared to. "I jumped on my camel and rode off into the sunset for hours and hours. I had a turban on over my head and I had Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon playing, it was just magical" Ledger developed many close relationships with his co-stars but speaks the most glowingly of Djimon Honsou, the "Amis- tad" star who plays a guardian angel role to Ledger's Harry. "He is my brother and he's got such a beautiful soul; a big heart and generous to work with. And he's got such a huge pres- ence. At first he can be intimidating, he'll walk in the room and, he's massive, and in actual fact he can pick you up and snap you over his knee. But you know, he's just big and gentle and you can push him over with one finger. We had a ball." Part of that "ball" included a weekly musical jam with some of the locals. "Every Tuesday night we would play drums with this Sudanese drum band. We'd just kind of get blind drunk on red wine; we'd keep a constant beat for like three hours straight, and that was fun. Out in the middle of the desert and just playing away." Still, with all the joy "The Four Feather" was to make, Ledger feels a real affinity for making smaller films, and even taking smaller roles like in last year's "Monster's Ball." "It keeps you alive doing smaller movies and smaller roles. There's less pressure. 'Monster's Ball,' the whole movie was shot in four weeks and my work was over in two days. It's fun to be able to just walk in and walk out and not have the pressures of creating this huge arch for the charac- ter to carry a movie. You can just go in there and pretty much do what the fuck you want." Having finished two other films since "The Four Feathers," Ledger does not have any upcoming plans for his career, instead taking a momentary break and keeping a return to the- ater a possibility for thr- This short vacation does not mean he's unhappy right now with the way things have worked out for him so far; on the con- trary, when asked to compare the century he lives in now with the numerous ones heimt lived1fBtgh in his films, he replie, "I'm pretty happy in this one, no matter how fucked up it is." s his wig - literally "About Schmidt," based on Louis Begby's 1996 novel and the third film from Alexander Payne, is, as the title indicates, about Warren Schmidt, a 66-year-old recently retired insurance actuary who resides in Omaha. Schmidt, played with gracious subtlety by Jack Nicholson in his best role in over a decade, is a man who slowly comes to understand his entire life is all for naught. His retirement plan is to travel across the country in his 35-foot Winnebago (The The Safety Adventurer) with Helen (June of Objects Squibb, "Far From IFC Films Heaven"), his wife of 42 years. But with nothing to do, Warren starts to re-evaluate his life's work, con- stantly nagging about his wife's annoying habits (she interrupts him, collects trinkets and only eats at new restaurants) and getting flus- tered about his daughter's (Hope Davis, "Home Alone") upcoming marriage and his soon-to-be son-in-law (Der- mot Mulroney, "My Best Friend's Wedding"). The rich characters of "Schmidt" are the byproduct of Payne's direction and Begby's novel, an ensemble of personali- ties that feels more like a group{ of distant relatives than actors. The symbiotic culmination pro- duces characters that feel authentic, not fabricated. It's no surprise that Payne is the bril- liant mind behind 1999's dark Acac comedy "Election." Hert Unlike "Election," "About Schmidt" plays for more than just comedic effect. For every joke, there is an immediate reminder of the overarching tragedy of the story. Warren complains about every facet of his marriage, then his wife dies. Following the unexpected death of Helen, Warren hits the road in his gas guzzling Winnebago in an attempt to prevent his daugh- Courtesy of'New Line Jack is a little disoriented after deciding to take control of his life ftr the very first time. ter's wedding. For a while "About Schmidt" becomes a road movie, as the protagonist seeks some kind of meaning in his life on a sort of lit- eral and metaphorical road trip across the Plains states. Despite all of the quirky charac- ters in the film (Kathy Bates gives frustrations with his new life. Unknowningly to Schmidt, little Ndugu becomes his most apprecia- tive friend. Nicholson, following a string of embellished roles in recent years, opts this time for a more minimalist approach, wisely letting Payne's script drive his character. It's refreshing to see Nicholson's virtuoso acting chops being used to form a real character rather than a caricature. Payne and his longtime screenwrit- ing partner Jim Tay- lr have taken several liberties with Begby's novel, primarily in changing the title character from an Courtesy of New line upscale New Yorker Roberta to a humble -hlaw. Nebrtskah. It's a just alteration, as the Omahan Schmidt seems more accessible than a wealthy Manhat- tanite. "About Schmidt" delicately bal- ances comedy and drama and cre- ates a film that is not only amusing, but heart-breaking. This complex case of cinemtatic bi-polarism is what makes Schmidt, and the film, so memorable. demy Award winner, Kathy Bates, appears as zel, the mother of Schmidt's prospective son an Oscar-worthy performance as the unapologetic in-law), the most memorable person is a 6-year-old Tanzanian boy named Ndugu (never seen on screen), who Warren decides to sponsor after seeing an ad on television. Through letters to his underpriveleged foster child (the most amusing parts of the. film), Warren is able to vent his I -r By Jeff Dickerson Daily Arts Editor Hollywood stars often enjoy the luxuries of having world class hairdressers, make-up artists and fashion designers; things we sim- pletons could only dream of. But sometimes such luxuries are not enough. The Internet Movie Database reports that "The Sum of All Fears" and "Pearl Harbor" film star Ben Affleck wears a hair piece. While attending a recent Hollywood party, Affleck play-tussled with "Swingers" star Vince Vaughn. In the midst of the friendly wrestling, Affleck's toupee flew off in front of several of his close friends. Affleck demanded his colleagues swear to secrecy about the incident. Apparently someone didn't get that message.Not only does the "Armageddon" star wear a toupee, he also has undergone over $50,000 worth of dental work to make his teeth more attractive. Good move Ben. Affleck is currently dating Latino pop diva Jennifer Lopez. We'll see how long that lasts. Courtesy of Paramount Pictures Ben worries about his receding hairline. Lt ___ 1 400 S. Division Ann Arbor Corner of William & Division 995-1545 Voted BEST Indian Cuisine in the Michigan Daily readers poll, Current Magazine, MetroTimes, and Ann Arbor News. Master writing with reference books AWARD-WINNING INDIAN CUISINE Fine Indian OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK Cuisine From interpreting Shakespeare 's sonnets to composing a killer paper, our selection of grammar books, thesauri, and dictionaries wil help you write with style. 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