1-1 Friday January 7, 2005 arts.michigandaily. com artspage@michigandaily.com ARTS 5 "Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills." 'Dynamite' DVD features an indie hit Courtesy of Fox Searchlight You want to put your what in my what? 'KINSEY' BIOPIC SCORES WITH SATISFYING PERFORMANCES By Punit Mattoo Daily Arts Writer Every year, one particular film is labeled by the media as a "surprise hit." This past year was no exception with a low-budget indie about a dorky Idahoan By Jeffrey Bloomer sacrificed much of his reputation, health and per- by the length of the film; considering this, he Daily Arts Writer sonal life for his work. The limits of his clinical has crafted a reasonably detailed and immensely approach to sexuality are also explored, because entertaining work, skillfully paced with warm F_____REVEW_______ as his research assistant and sometime lover Clyde humor and well-developed characters. It is the Martin (the dynamic Peter Sarsgaard, "Shattered work of an expert storyteller in control of his During the formative years of his career as a Glass") tells him, "sex is a risky game ... if you're medium; the result is "Kinsey's" ability to tran- biologist, Alfred Kinsey studied the gall wasp. He not careful, it will cut you right open." scend its own limitations. collected more than four million specimens of the Liam Neeson stars as Alfred Kinsey in a perfor- "Kinsey" is also markedly frank about sexual- insect, publishing several vol- mance that highlights his great range as an actor. ity, both in relation to the research project and to umes on his findings. Remark- Neeson masterfully captures Kinsey's many lay- the characters. It is fearless in its portrayal of the ably, when Kinsey took up sex Kinsey ers, including the effects of his emotionally scar- places Kinsey's studies took him, from graphic research, he went about it in At the Michigan ring upbringing and his deep love for his wife - it classroom presentations and disturbing interviews the same way: He took case Theater and comes as little surprise that he is almost certain to with sexual predators to his personal acknowl- studies, systematically col- Quality 16 earn an Oscar nomination for his work. Equally edgement of his own bisexuality. The film is rated lecting the sexual histories of Fox Searchlight outstanding is the supporting cast, including the R (as opposed to the commercially unviable NC- thousands of Americans across phenomenal Laura Linney ("Mystic River") as 17), in a move that will hopefully signal a greater the country. Mrs. Kinsey, Lynn Redgrave ("Spider") in a divine acceptance of pertinent sexual content from the What Kinsey discovered - albeit brief - appearance as an interview sub- notoriously frigid Motion Picture Association of was that masturbation, adultery and homosexual- ject in one of the film's most emotionally-charged , America in coming years. ity were all far more prevalent than anyone had scenes and Sarsgaard, who continues to establish Alfred Kinsey helped bring America out of the previously thought. He conducted this research himself as one of the most versatile and talented sexual dark ages, a time where it was said that in the 1940s, a time when "aberrant" sexuality actors working today. masturbation caused insanity and oral sex inhib- (essentially anything besides procreation within Condon directs from his own screenplay, orga- ited fertility. His work is still hotly debated today, wedlock) landed people in prison, or worse. nizing Kinsey's life into a narrative that at times and though the film takes an affirmative stance on Directed by Bill Condon ("Gods and Monsters"),-comes together a bit toa seamlessly; It gift-wraps--his legacy, it rises above any political statement. "Kinsey" has a deep affection for its subject but his internal motivations and sometimes consid- In the year of the biopic, "Kinsey" emerges as one is careful not to merely streamline his successes. ers the desperate need for and the effects of his of uncommon power and weight; it is one of the He is portrayed as a deeply principled man who research only superficially. Condon is constrained"dbest films of the year. that earned $46 million. Backed by a massive ad cam- paign and MTV's support, "Napoleon Dynamite" found a teenage audience drawn to the film's Napoleon Dynamite 20th Century Fox eccentric lead and audiences can't help but laugh. With his trademark quips "sweet" and "what the flip?" Napoleon is the perfect anti-hero, and Heder's deadpan delivery is classic. The DVD's features, although not extensive, are enjoyable. The short film "Peluca," which "Napoleon Dynamite" is based on, was made while Hess was in college. The film depicts Seth (still played by Heder, but not yet Napoleon) in a condensed version of the feature with a cast comprised almost entirely of local students - including two characters later combined to create Pedro, Napoleon's best friend. The commentary provided by Hess, Heder and producer Jeremy Coon pro- vides insight into how the film's eccentric aspects came to life. Viewers also learn that Napoleon's moonboots come courte- sy of an uncle, while the pet llama, Tina, is one of five owned by Hess's family. The film's picture and sound prevent "Napoleon Dynamite" from being a truly great DVD. Conversations are often too quiet and sometimes indecipherable. The slightly grainy picture, although still impressive for such a low-budget film, is bothersome at points. Regardless of these shortcomings, "Napoleon Dynamite" has a cult-classic aura that makes each view- ing just as fun as the last. favorable word-of-mouth. Set in director/co-writer Jared Hess's hometown, the film focuses on the daily life of the geeky Napoleon (Jon Heder). With his giant afro, unicorn shirts and moon boots, Napoleon embodies the awkwardness that is high school - of course, he's oblivious. Instead, he sets his disdain upon his equally tacky older brother, Kip (who spends his time "talk- ing to hot babes online"), and visit- ing Uncle Rico (who's stuck in his high school glory days). Although essentially plotless, free of any drugs, profanity or sex (a reflection of Hess's Mormon upbringing), thefilm manages to be hilarious. Relying upon one-liners, Hess and his wife and co- writer, Jerusha, craft such an absurd envi- ronment and memorable characters that Film: **** Picture/Sound: ** Features: *** BUY YOUR TE BOOKS AT ALECO AND SAVE UP TO 40% OFF* THE LIST PRICE. How grea is this? Find great savings on new or used textbooks you need this semester. Go to haf.com and enter the titles or ISBN numbers. That's it! Save an additional on a purchase of $50 or more. Redeem this coupon by entering this code: ANNARBOR2005 at half.com For a fimited time, first-time buyers only. See conditions below.* I r' I r I r I I I, I r ,fcomTM by ebay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .J- I I