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June 01, 1999 - Image 11

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
Michigan Daily Summer Weekly, 1999-06-01

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Tuesday, June 1, 1999 - The Michigan Daily - 11

i

Notting Hill
*iiversal Pictures
At Briarwood and Showca
In 1994, director s
teamed with writer Richa
created one of the mo
romantic comedies of al
Weddings and a Funeral.
mer of 1999 roles in, C
rmed with "Four Weddin
nean Kenworthy an
Grant to create "Notting I
Unlike "Four Weddin
Hill" isn't an innovative r
edy, but rather tries to sta
vein of its predecessor w
to the tenants of the tr
meets girl romantic come
The story is simple. Ant
Roberts), the biggest mov
world, wanders into Willi
(Hugh Grant) travel
Otantly, the pair have gr
but it takes him bumpin
street minutes later before
ly gets together. "Notting
the couple's ups-and-do)
course of about a year.
obvious, but isn't that alw
What really works abo
its first half. Even if it wa
dy the beginning of "I
uld work perfectly. F
sart of Scott and Thacker
is a joy.
It's when things get roc
ond half of the film when
falter. The whole thing is
ous and humor doesn't wo
But an amazing turn b
definitely one of her stro
mances - and Grant's ty
charm carries the film thri
patches.
While "Notting Hill" is.
Sovation and originalit
nice date movie or a va
afternoon.
The Thirteenth
Columbia Pictures
At Showcase
If you are someone
aesthetically inclined t
drous special effects an
camera work, "The Thir
would be the movie to s(
Douglas Hall (Craig I
into a computer gene

se
like Newell
rd Curtis and
st endearing
1 time, "Four
" As the sum-
-urtis has re-
ngs" producer
d star Hugh
Hill."
gs," "Notting
omantic com-
y in the same
hile adhering
aditional boy
dy.
na Scott (Julia
vie star in the
am Thacker's
book store.
eat chemistry,
g into her in

reality program that lie and his boss
have been working on for the past six
years. Hall seeks to uncover the mys-
terious murder of his friend and
father-figure Hannon Fuller (Armin
Mueller-Stahl) when he finds himself
the primary suspect. With the help of
company employee Whitney (Vincent
D'Onofrio) Hall is thrust into a cyber-
world designed to be 1930s Los
Angeles.
Director Josef Rusnak puts a rather
serious slant on this simulated sci-
fi/cyberpunk movie. But at times this
is at the expense of the development
of the main characters. Still, the over-
all jist of the plot is interesting.
"The Thirteenth Floor" addresses
the possibility of a simulated universe
able to spawn another universe by
itself. It seems that "The Thirteenth
Floor" is one of those movies that is
visually more gratifying then the

terns. He crafts a powerful understand-
ing of the connection between Otto and
Ana not through their dialogue but
rather through their distance and long-
ing. Martinez radiates in his first lead-
ing role, and Nimri gives an especially
engaging performance, masterfully
rendering subtle movements.
The careful and lengthy chronicle of
Otto and Ana borders epic because
Medem chooses to weave in larger
themes of betrayal and loyalty to reflect
the circular pattern of the film. The jux-
taposition of Otto's German origin and
his Spanish identity reveals larger polit-
ical issues between fascist Germany
and Spain during the Spanish war.
Rich, focused and hypnotic, "Lovers
of the Arctic Circle" embodies an
emphatically different approach to the
traditional love story.
Jenny Curren

CUBA
Continued from Page 9
Turteltaub compared his two stars in
"Instinct" favorably. He remarked that
Gooding and Hopkins "don't take them-
selves very seriously. They take the work
very seriously. But a lot of actors get real
high on themselves and he's not that way.
Tony's not that way."
And in "Instinct" Gooding had "a lot
of fun" playing psychiatrist Theo
Caulder. Playing this character, "I
learned to listen a lot," Gooding said.
Playing Caulder is also Goodings first
leading role since he won an Oscar for
"Jerry Maguire."Though Turteltaubjok-
ingly attributes casting Gooding as one
of the leads in "Instinct" to his own
"genius," Gooding had a different take.
"The things I was being offered at the
time that were lead roles weren't very
good scripts or movies," Gooding
remarks. "The best roles that I was
offered were the ones I did ... I thought
there would be more of it too. I mean
you win an Academy Award and 'woo'
they want you to do this. It's like, 'Well,
Cuba, we've got ... Matthew
McConaughey."'
Turteltaub was drawn to "Instinct,"
which is darker than his other films
("Phenomenon," "Cool Runnings"),
hrrnicrof te ra-nt- 1-1o notho

character Caulder "someone who has a
lot of ambition and drive, yet needs to
get a little more in touch with the things
in lf' that nmatter." --
On top of that Turteltaub considers
much of "Instinct" - particularly the
end of the film -- about "letting go.
Allowing things to happen."
But there are still some things
Gooding isn't able to let go of. When
talking about his experience with his "A
Few Good Men" director Rob Reiner,
Gooding noted the director's displeasure
with a scene that was similar in Reiner's
film "Stand By Me" and Gooding's
vehicle "Boyz 'N the Hood."
Gooding recalled an audition with
Reiner in which the director said, "'Let
me ask you something, I rented that
"Boyz 'N the Hood" movie because I
hadn't seen it ... When those kids disap-
pear on the railroad tracks, why'd you
guys use that?"' Reiner pointed out the
shot was from his film "Stand By Me."
Blaming the incident on not getting
the lead, Gooding called Reiner a
"prick."
Nevertheless, Gooding has had a
great career, as has Turteltaub. But time
will only tell if "Instinct" can wif' big
box office in a summer with "Star Wars:
Episode I - The Phantom Menace" to
its left and "Austin Powers: The Spy
Who 'hnpn M" to itc ht_

movie really is.

the pair real- Lovers of the
Hill" follows
wns over the Circle
The ending is Fine Line PicturE
ays the case. At the Ann Arbor 1&2
ut the film is
s just a come- *
Notting Hill" Redeeming himself
ollowing the bling, unintelligible is
's relationship film, "Earth," Spanisi
Medem manages to c
ky in the see- chant for painstaking
things start to into a dynamic and t
just too obvi- with his new film,'
irk as well. Arctic Circle".
y Roberts - Lovers Otto (Fele M.
ingest perfor- (Najwa Nimri) are intr
pical nervous dren, as young Otto ch
ough its rough soccer ball and ends u
who is fleeing her mof
n't the stuff of the painful news of he
y, it's still a The pair connectsi
ste of a lazy only to later be joined
when Otto's father ma
Ed Sholinssy owed mother.
Throughout their as
i Floor projects the lost spirit o
Otto until, upon het
S behind Otto's unusu
name, she hears Otto
first time, and their s
begins. Then, when O
who is more German mother dies, s
oward won- cidal guilt he leave b
d outstanding stepmother and Ana.
teenth Floor" Telling the story t
ec. coincidental occurren
Bierko) jacks chronologically, Mcd
rated virtual the power of fate and 1i

Mighty Joe Young
Neshe Sarkoz DVD
-rtc Disney
Arctic Large and in charge, "Mighty Joe
Young" is a kid's movie with little that
as will appeal to anyone out of elemen-
tary school. The story is dull and
there's never a moment of suspense in
the entire movie. The setup is simple
from the ram- and sappy - an evil poacher kills the
ness of his last mothers of both Jill Young (Charlize
h director Julio Theron) and a gorilla named Joe on
hannel his pen- the same night, leaving the two with
ly slow drama only each other.
ense love story But now there's a problem -
"Lovers of the hunters are hot on Joe's tail, eager to
nab him and cash in. Enter Gregg
artinez) and Ana O'Hara (Bill Paxton), an animal
roduced as chil- expert eager to transport Joe to a
sases a wayward safer place in California. After real-
p following Ana izing that Joe is in grave danger if
her after hearing they stay in Africa, Jill agrees to take
r father's death. the mighty beast to America.
instantaneously, "Mighty Joe Young" depends heavily
as sten-siblings on special effects, and for the most
rries Ana's wid- they end up looking realistic - the
movie received an Oscar nomination
dolescence, Ana for Best Visual Effects. On the
if her father onto whole, however, the film is really
wring the story hurting.
al palindromic The DVD contains a few extras,
's voice for the namely the trailer and a short fea-
ecret love affair turette on the production. The fea-
tto's abandoned turette, which includes interviews
tricken with sui- with several of the cast members, is
ehind his father, interesting but is also very short and
comes off as little more than an
through various advertisement for the film. In the end,
ces rather than "Mighty Joe Young" is mighty in
cim emphasizes name alone.

fe's cyclical pat-

Matthew Barrett

Anthony Hopkins joins Cuba Gooding, Jr. for a rousing rendition of
Know You." The two plan to take the show on the road later this

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