ARTS The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition - Fall 2005 - 7D 'LOST' AND FOUND ABC'S DRAMA STAYS ON COURSE By Doug Wernert SEPTEMBER 29, 2005 Daily Staff Writer The housewives intercept a secret memo from American teenagers: Eva Longoria is fucking hot. PRIMETIME SOAPS 'HOUSEWIVES' LIVENS UP ABC's SUNDAY NIGHTS When it comes to laying out its premise, the new ABC drama "Lost" doesn't waste a second. A man laying in a pile of brush regains consciousness and wanders onto the beach, only to find the burning wreck- age of the plane he formerly occupied. For the next few minutes, chaos reigns as people are trapped under debris, a preg- nant woman screams for help, a piece of the plane explodes and the other surviv- ing passengers wander aimlessly along the shore of this deserted island, some hysterical and others in shock. By the time the opening credits roll, "Lost" has snatched the audience's attention, ready to take them on a horrifying thrill ride that is unlike anything on television today. The now-conscious man is Jack (Mat- thew Fox, "Party of Five"), a heroic doctor who possesses both fearless- ness and the kind of knowledge that can help the 48 survivors stay alive. He quickly assumes a leadership role, mov- ing people to safety and tending to inju- ries. Wounded himself, he calls on an attractive young woman to sew him up. This woman, Kate (Evangeline Lilly), becomes a perfect counterpart to Jack, as she also keeps a clear head at all times but still has the fear of being stranded on the island lingering in her mind. Jack and Kate clearly establish them- selves as the most complete and dynamic characters on a show with a robust sup- porting cast. Whether it's the hard-nosed Asian man who speaks no English tell- ing his wife to stay away from the rest of the group or the self-centered woman who keeps telling her brother they are going to get rescued (which is certainly not happening anytime soon, as the plane crashed hundreds of miles away from where it lost communication), the rest of the survivors open up endless possibili- ties for storylines. Dissension among the group members is bound to happen once the airplane food runs out and they real- By Doug Wernert OCTOBER 10, 2005 Daily Staff Writer T EWA "Desperate Housewives" isn't your ordinary television program. For one thing, a central character kills herself in the opening minutes of the first epi- sode. While this might seem tragic Desperate to some, the nosy Housewives next-door neigh- bor's reaction is Wednesdays relief that now she at 8 p.m. doesn't have to ABC return the woman's blender. It's this tone that establishes the backbone for "Desperate House- wives," a new comedy that doesn't take itself seriously and uses its humorous writing and outlandish atmosphere to create one of this season's most sur- prising, unique programs. "Housewives" may best be described as "Arrested Development" meets "Sex and The City," as the show follows around several married women who are frustrated for one rea- son or another. Tying it all together is Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong), the dead woman who serves as the narrator for the series and for her friends' eccentric day-to-day lives. This cast of peculiar women all have their fair share of problems. First, and most importantly, is Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher), the divorced mom looking to get with the new neighborhood hunk (James Denton). While this seems to be the primary storyline, a second plot line with an overly sophisticated mother (Marcia Cross) - who drives her family crazy - is also entertaining. Whether it's Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria), the sex-crazed model who hooks up with her gardener, or the career woman (Felicity Huffman) who is now over- whelmed by her four kids, each of Mary Alice's friends are totally differ- ent and likable in their own way. The show manages to bring a fresh comedic approach without being so over-the-top that the gags become inane. Sure, the flashbacks of Susan's enemy Brit (Nicollette Sheridan) seducing everyone from the cable guy to the neighborhood priest are silly, but this storytelling device moves the plots along and helps the viewer keep the main characters straight. The men are simply there to either frustrate, annoy or intrigue the women. Gabri- elle mowing the lawn in her evening gown so her husband won't find out about her affair is downright hilarious. After all, they're desperate housewives for a reason. Both the characters and the humor are given ample time to develop and that's the powerful combination that made "Desperate Housewives" the top-rated show in the country at the beginning of October. The group conversations they have scream "Sex and The City," but these are kept to a minimum so the show can develop it's own personality. As of October it was off to a tremendous start and as long as the show keeps the originality and the sex appeal flowing, viewers will continue to tune in. "Is God still punishing me for Party of Five?" Courtesy of ABC ize the peril they are in. Probably the most intriguing of this supporting cast is Charlie (Dominic Monaghan, "Lord of the Rings"), an eccentric European man who takes a liking to Jack and Kate, going along with them to find the cockpit of the plane to try and radio for help. It is dur- ing this expedition where the danger of their predicament becomes evident. Lurking in the jungle of this island is a huge, bloodthirsty beast looking for prey. While the trio is inside the plane, the animal makes its presence known, violently shaking the cockpit and kill- ing the pilot, leaving him hanging in a tree. While this idea seems a tad hokey, the characters, mixed with some great camera work, create a very realistic aura of fear that is passed on to the audience. The beast remains unseen, which will only build more anticipation towards its eventual sighting. "Lost" could have very easily been a poor "Cast Away" rip-off or, even worse, elicit comparisons to an overly dramatic version of "Gilligan's Island." Fortu- nately for viewers, while the program isn't able to keep up the raw energy of the fantastic opening sequence, it makes up for it by being original, smart and truly engrossing. Director's cut trumps original cult classic, "Donnie Darko" I By Alexandra Jones MARCH 7, 2005 Daily Staff Writer "Donnie Darko" has finally returned. The twisted drama about a disturbed teenage boy who learns that the world will end from a human-sized, metal-faced rab- bit named Frank, (James Duval who may be recog- nized as John the Mod from another Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut 20th Century Fox suit; he appears in almost every scene, apparently listening to or interviewing fans (although he never speaks) or sit- ting in the back of the theater where some of the testimonials are given. While it's great to see a fantastic, genre-defying film like this championed so strongly by viewers, some of the Brit- ish fans cast aspersions on American audiences for not "getting" such a com- plex work of genius. It's unfortunate that success in the film industry is measured by performance in the United States, but these fans - some of whom are identi- fied only by their "Donnie Darko Fan" number - blame the initial obscurity of "Donnie Darko" on American audi- ences and misguided marketing. One posits that "Americans don't understand these in-depth sorts of films" the way U.K. audiences do; another states that the film's current status as an interna- tional cult success and the release of this very director's cut is due to British sup- port. "Donnie Darko" was released in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks and was marketed, in the words of one fan, "like a bad episode of Dawson's Creek," but the laudable enthusiasm of British fans is tainted, at least for American viewers, with a distasteful arrogance. This featurette is meant for pretty seri- ous fans, but casual viewers or those curi- ous about the movie after seeing it for the first time wouldn't be shut out. However, "#1 Fan: A Darkomentary" is a differ- ent story. It's the result of a documentary contest sponsored by DonnieDarko.com to find the film's No. 1 fan and features someone who calls himself Darryl Don- aldson, whose obsession with the film bor- ders on the disturbed. Darryl shows us his collection of screenshots ("I used to have pictures of my family in these (frames), but I thought these were cooler"), Jake Gyllenhaal pictures, and an aluminum foil model of the jet engine that falls on Donnie's house. This homemade contest winner could be enjoyed by die-hard fans - although it's hard to believe that anyone could relate to this guy - or be viewed as a specimen of disturbing fanat- icism. Darryl's creepy testimonial about his love for the movie is so over-the-top that it almost seems like a joke. The generous features on "Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut" DVD serve as a fitting treatment for an unjustly overlooked film. Its cult status combined with the availability of a lavish DVD release should bring the film to a greater audience beyond longtime fans. cult film, "SLC Punk"), was mismar- keted as an emotionally tumultuous teen flick to U.S. audiences who were still in emotional turmoil in October 2001, but gained a rabid cult following when it was released in Britain. Last year, Richard Kelly's director's cut was released in the- aters, and now the definitive version of the production has found form in DVD. This sprawling film, set weeks before the 1988 presidential election, tells the story of Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllen- haal), whose mental medication causes him to see Frank and obey the giant bun- ny's instructions. Because Donnie heeds Frank's instructions to go outside, he's not asleep in bed when a jet engine from an airplane falls through the roof of his room. Frank talks to Donnie about time travel and tells him that the world will end in 28 days, six hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. Donnie's visions also cause him to wreck havoc at his high school and around the community. Gyl- lenhaal's real-life sister Maggie ("Mona Lisa Smile") plays Donnie's sister Eliza- beth. Drew Barrymore and Noah Wyle ("ER") play teacher's at Donnie's school, and Patrick Swayze appears as a motiva- tional speaker-cum-televangelist whose ideas are taught there. Because of the film's longtime cult status, the director's cut DVD release is packaged with die-hard fans in mind. The extra scenes in the new cut produce a more linear plot and explain the time travel in greater detail. Disc one includes a widescreen version of the movie with optional commentary by writer/direc- tor Kelly and his friend Kevin Smith ("Clerks"). The second disc contains a production diary, the theatrical trailer and a storyboard-to-screen featurette. Buy used and save Film: **** Sound/Picture: **** Features: **** Buying used textbooks saves you 25% off the price of new. Rush to the bookstore for the best selection of used books. I . I Pierpont Commons Bookstore Michigan Union Bookstore con 0 04-4- 04--4 . I