www.michigandaily.com X ,R T S
MONDAY9
JUNE 30, 2003 9
Inside the 'Greenlight' special
I eat babies.
By Zach Mabee
DailyArts Writer
Exposure to lethal quantities of
gamma radiation doesn't corrupt; it just
accentuates what waa present all along.
Well, at least that's what stoical geneti-
cist Bruce Banner (Eric Bana, "Black
Hawk Down") has you think in Ang
Lee's interpretation of the comic book
classic 'The Incredible Hulk."
.Banner leads a life of reserved con-
tentment, devoting his mind entirely to
the field of nuclear
genetics. Suppos- Hulk
edly abandoned by A aaoe
his biological par- Quality 6 1a nd
ents, Banner is Showcase
emotionally isolat- Universal
ed and loses his
only love - co-worker Betty Ross (Jen-
nifer Connelly) - as a result.
Nonetheless, the two still work close-
ly, researching the regenerative proper-
ties of gamma radiation. One fateful
day, when a seal breaks during a routine
test, Banner is exposed to fatal doses of
the radiation; surprisingly, he recovera,
unscathed.
Well, he isn't left entirely unscathed:
the radiation causes Banner's emotions
- which we find to be rather tumul-
tuous, due to a disturbed childhood
spent in the household of deranged mili-
tary scientist, David Banner (Nick
Nolte) - to affect his appearance and
physical composition. Basically, the
right stimulus causes Bruce to turn into
a huge ball of green muscle that oper-
ates solely to the tune of destrssction.
Director Ang Lee is known - espe-
cially for his epic sags, "Crouching
Tiger Hidden Dragon" - to take a
markedly cerebral approach to the other-
wise visceral realm of action; his
approach obviously remains the same
with "Hulk."
At nearly two and a half hours,
"Hulk" delves deeply into personal and
relational issues that othera of the comic
book ilk don't even broach. Lee exam-
ines the father-son, man-woman, man-
himself and man-society dynamics with
thought and emotion otherwise unseen
in modemn action.
This more thoughtful progression
malkes the film's action sequences all the
more enjoyable. Lee's graceful, almost
surreal choreography is evident as the
Hulk trounces about the Southwest
United States like a child on a play-
ground. Simply put, the action is visual-
ly breathtaking, and itsis even more
anticipated because of the characters'
early emotional development
Stylistically, "Hulk" rivals the lot fur
the comic genre crown. Lee splices
many scenes with intricate atomic shots
of human cells reproducing and other
scientific displays that enhance the
experience; also, the scenes transition
very smoothly and creatively. Moreover,
he tempers "Hulk" appropriately with
comedy, cameos and cultural allusions,
employing everything from Stan Lee
and Lou Ferrigno appearances to G.W
and Condoleeza Rice look-alikes. These
all help lighten the otherwise pensive
tale of the impetuous green giant.
By Autumn Brown
For the Daily
Aspiring screenwriters and direc-
tors hsve found an oasis in the
desert of Hollywood hype and the
old boys club. This haven is "Project
Greenlight," an original documen-
tary series airing on HBO this sum-
mer. The program provides a
behind-the-scenes look at the mak-
ing of a winning film on a modest
budget of $1 million.
Project Greenlight, which works
with production company LivePlanet
and is produced by Ben Affleck,
Mats Damon and Chris Moore, holds
a contest yearly to find a promising
script written by an unknown screen-
writer and for the first time this
year, an unknown director.
For the 2002 series, only one
screenwriter was chosen from many
Hollywood hopefuls to both write
and direct. "For the winners, it's a
dream come true," said co-producer
Jeff Balis, "But then the person has
to change from a wide-eyed contest
winner to someone who realizes that
he has a difficult job to do. The
transition is really quick."
Peter Jones was the fortunate win-
ner who envisioned a nostalgic film
set in the 1970s. His winning film,
"Stolen Summer" tells the story of a
young Catholic boy who attempts to
get his Jewish friend into heaven.
Balis said that one of the things
that made "Stolen Summer" stand
apart from other films about reli-
gion was its honesty about the sub-
ject matter. "It stood out as a
non-cynical movie," he said. "Even
though the protagonist was a little
kid, the movie was done in a
straightforward way. It had chil-
dren's simplicity and simple truths
which we could all learn from."
He added, "Anti-Semitism is a lot
more veiled now than it was back
then. A modern setting would have
changed the film fundamentally.
Now things are more relegated."
However, according to Balis, the
Courtes f HBO
You don't have to put on the green light. You don't have to wear that dress tonight.
age of the main character was never shown commercially in the
always a big concern. "We couldn't United States.
make him much older, and if he was "The Battle of Shaker Heights" is
too young, he would come off as too the story of a World War II enthusi-
naive," he said. "The boy we chose asat who reenacts battles as a pastime
came in at the last moment, so we and tumbles through teen angst. The
got really lucky." 2003 series chronicling the making
Veteran actors Aidan Quinn and of the film debuted on HBO on June
Bonnie Hunt were cast in support- 22. The film will be released in
ing roles. "We managed to get really select theaters on August 15.
lucky. Aidan was such a strong actor Balis argued that the best way to
that other actors could draw from get a screenplay noticed in Holly-
him," Balis said. "Bonnie brought wood, in addition to entering it in
something more to her character the Project Greenlight contest, is to
than what was actually written in be active.
the film, and she helped working "The way to do illis to make con-
with the kids." ladts in Los Angeles," he said. "Peo-
This year's winning film, "The pie are looking for a good product,
Battle of Shaker Heights," was writ- and Hollywood is looking for corn-
ten by Erica Beeney and directed by mercial films. If you write good
Eframn Potelle and Kyle Rankin, material, people will know."
marking the first time that the pro- On the other hand, Balls cau-
ducers chose screenwriters and tinned that mediocrity will not work
directors separately, for unknowns in the film industry.
Notwithstanding, Potelle and "Don't write a good script, but a
Rankin were only somewhat inexpe- great script. If you think it's pretty
rienced. Their directing debut was good, it's not good enough," he
the 1996 independent film, "Rein- said. "In order for your script to get
deer Games." They qualified for the on the screen it has to have signs of
contest, because their film was sheer brilliance."
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