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. 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