8 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 7, 2004 ART S 6 Roberts' latest effort lacks 'Smile' By Vanessa Miller Daily Arts Writer "Mona Lisa Smile" tries to shine an empowering light on how far women have come in the past 50 years, espe- cially within the realm of education, but is done with a lack of creativity. As compared to the classic "Dead Poets Society," "Mona Lisa Smile" truly does not deserve such a grand comparison with the trite fable. Weighed down with stereotypical characters and predictability, this heart-warming tale of a liberal teacher's (Julia Roberts) journey to Wellesley, a top-notch women's col- lege, in order to inspire and change the lives of others fails to deliver. Of course, conflict is met as Katherine (Roberts) discov- Mona Lisa Smile At Madstone and Showcase Sony a I Courtesy of Sony Courtesy or Dreamworks No, I will not make out with you. 'HOUSE' RULES CONNELLY AND KINGSLEY FIGHT IN EMOTIONAL THRILLER ers these women are simply getting ready for their futures as housewives, with no desire to learn beyond the constraints of their textbooks. Katherine's students fulfill the cliched group of young teens shown in most films; there is the slut, (Mag- gie Gyllenhaal, "Secretary"), the stuck-up bitch (Kirsten Dunst), the sophisticated brain (Julia Stiles), and the less-attractive nerd (Ginnifer Goodwin, "Ed"). Gyllenhaal shines and is able to make the 1950 promis- i know how to make Mona Lisa smile ... cuous college student lovable by using her innocent sexy charm to stand out against the other girls. Dunst and Stiles give flat performances, with lit- tle dramatic edge except for sporting upper-crust New England accents. Newcomer Goodwin makes us truly care for her role as Connie, by being the only real character that isn't over- contrived, producing the heart this film claims to have. Roberts is obviously cast in this role in an attempt to add star power to the film. She fits perfectly as the caring teacher, but lacks the qualities of being the liberal California woman who is the complete opposite of her students. This bad judgment in casting ruins the energy the film could've had. "Mona Lisa Smile" is a well-made film and entertaining, encasing heartache, inspiration and friendship in a neat little package that doesn't take any risks. In this film about the tribulations of the woman's movement and the bitter realities of woman who were blind to the movement, a more innovative approach is needed than putting Julia Roberts in the unthink- able role of a single woman who astonishingly overcomes her sur- roundings. By Justin Weiner Daily Arts Writer Though it will likely be considered during the upcom- ing awards season, "House of Sand and Fog" will not make all theater patrons happy. Almost as bleak as it is tragic, the film is a powerful but depressing account of a conflict over a simple, run-down San Francisco home. Kathy Nicolo (Jennifer Connelly, "Hulk") is a recover- ing drug addict, living alone in her deceased father's home. A mistake by the county leads to her eviction, after which the house is put up for auction. Massoud Behrani (Ben Kingsley, "Sexy Beast"), a for- mer colonel in the Shah's Iranian army, buys the home as an invest- House of ment to help support his struggling Sand and Fog family. Lester (Ron Eldard, "Black At Madstone Hawk Down"), a seemingly normal Dreamworks police officer, befriends Cathy and attempts to help her reclaim her home. Pleading becomes harassment, and the characters are drawn into a devastat- ing conflict. Throughout "House of Sand and Fog" the characters are flawed, yet ordinary. At first, they act in a reasonable, seemingly appropriate manner and come across as rather normal. The amazing aspect of this story is the way in which their actions lead to unimaginable horrors. One can see the tragedy approaching, but the story forces viewers to ponder its exact causes. The conflict gradually escalates and is both haunting and compelling, simultaneously. This part of the story is also augmented by director Vadim Perelman's alter- nation between gritty, real scenes and dream like images of the fog and the house. This cinematography conveys the power of the story while not compromising the film's realism. Full '1'auberge' makes for sexy comedy By Katie Marie Gates Daily TV/New Media Editor Couresy or ureamworks No means no. Terrific performances from the cast, Kingsley in partic- ular, also add to the compelling nature of "House of Sand and Fog." Massoud's interactions with his son define the character and Kingsley executes these scenes perfectly. Its heartbreaking nature becomes the only drawback to "House of Sand and Fog." The tragedy is so complete that it detracts from one's enjoyment of the film. However, one can derive pleasure from sad films, and there is plenty to adhere to in "House of Sand and Fog." It plays out almost like a Greek tragedy, with the small, common faults of each character leading to the catastrophic battle of wills. Just as one can take pleas- ure in reading "Antigone," one can enjoy this movie by reflecting on the characters' flaws, and their ultimate culmination. DVD REVIEW In hopes of improving his Spanish, Xavier (Romain Duris, "Le Divorce"), a young French student, enrolls in an exchange program to spend a year studying in Barcelona, Spain. After a homeless beginning, he is instantly attracted to the ___________ five tenants of , "L' A u b e r g e LAuberge Espagnole" (the Espagnole Spanish Apart- 20th Century Fox ment), each from a different country: Spain, Germany, England, Italy and Denmark. Xavier finds a home with the diverse cast of characters in this intoxicating comedy that examines friendship, love and the messes of life. While the new DVD cover may highlight Audrey Tautou ("Amelie") as headliner of this French film, her mini- mal part as Xavier's girlfriend (Mar- Eoursts Bof 20th Cenury rox Es ia historla verdadera de siete amigos gastando tiempo juntos en Barcelona. tine) is actually less impressive than the apartment ensemble. Whether speaking in English, Spanish or their native tongues, the lively crew is love- able and amusing. The disc offers fullscreen and widescreen presentation and the option of French or Spanish language with French, Spanish or English subtitles but contains no special features. A look at the production of this film in the beautiful city of Barcelona and background information on the true identities of the diverse cast would have nicely complimented "L'Auberge Espagnole." Film: **** Picture/Sound: **** Features: No stars 4 Vida's debut novel explores notion of mortality By Bonnie Kellman Daily Arts Writer BOOK RE.VI E.W * * If a man wearing Giorgio Armani glasses holds a gun to your head on a bench in the park but nei- ther physically harms nor robs you, are you a vic- tim? After a suicidal man does such a thing to her, Ellis, a graduate student at _..._......_ Columbia University, desper- And Now ately searches for an answer You Can Go to this question throughout "And Now You Can Go," a By Vendela Vida novel by Vendela Vida. With Alfred A. Knoff the gun pressed to her head, she manages to restore the man's faith in life by arguing the merits of art and reciting bits of poetry, but she loses her own faith in the process. Such a beginning can easily fall into the trap of the clich6 near-death experience followed by a sudden spiritual revelation. Although Vida's novel totters dangerously close to this precipice, the author is careful to stay away from the sentimen- tality that would have made such a story unbear- able. Vida's prose is fast and witty, sprinkled with sharp insights into human nature. It immediately draws the audience in and holds them hostage in the fascinatingly twisted world she creates for the next 50 pages. But Vida's best asset, her prose, soon becomes tiresome as it follows Ellis through her struggle to readjust to life. The protagonist is overcome by the loneliness that isolates everyone around her. In response, she pushes away her attentive boyfriend and seeks solace with a string of lovers that remain distant and unnamed, including a rough ROTC boy and a red-faced Representative of the World. The prose remains sharp and quick throughout the affairs, but Vida is a little bit too successful at cut- ting out all the unnecessary explanations of Ellis' emotional readjustment. Although the writing reflects the protagonist's emotional detachment from the other characters, it leaves the reader at a cold distance from her as well. When Ellis makes it home to San Francisco for the holidays, her mother convinces her to go on a charitable trip to the Philippines with a group of doctors from the hospital where she works. Although Vida's prose saves Ellis from having the cliche spiritual revelation, she does undergo an undefined fundamental change as she hands out stuffed animals and sunglasses to a crowd of clam- oring Filipinos. By the time Ellis returns to Columbia, the story has lost its direction, leaving the reader unsure what exactly the plot or the point of the novel was. Ellis undergoes another whirlwind of not-quite- meaningful encounters with the ROTC boy and the Representative of the World. Then, shortly after she is reunited with her best friend from her under- graduate days, the loose ends of all of Ellis' unre- solved relationships come together as she faces the man in the Giorgio Armani glasses once again. Unfortunately, Vida fails to tie them all together in a satisfying knot. "And Now You Can Go" is a commendable first novel that shows great promise under its rough edges. S HORT TAKE MISSION MO IBE OPERATON SURMA PS2, XBox. AECB ATAR[ W~hile the latestitllmet i the stealth game genre isn't a tremendous one, it isnt a total miss either. Mission qmps4le: per ation Surma" feature sme linear gamelay that may n~ot excite hard- ene d spy game 'fans, b~ut it does' provide eneugh* pkayabilit omke< itan ejyble o nrh.j Gamers take on the ro e