... The Michigan Daily - Tuesday. December 5. 1995 - 9 I 'Big Adventure' not that exciting By sate Brady Dally Arts Writer Igo not let the title of this film mis- lead you. This movie includes no gun fights, safaris or road trips, nor any other action-paced plot that one might associate with the word "adventure." It all takes place in the same city in England in 1947, and the story is that of one young girl. At age 16, Stella, the star of this drama, sets out to find a job. She auditions for a theater group and finds work prompting actors and taking the notes. She falls in love with the direc- tor, played by Hugh Grant, whom she does not realize is gay. The theater becomes her world, and she is wound up in her girlish dreams. Working for this theater group, with all its prom- ises of greatness, is her adventure. Based on the novel of the same name, this adventure of hers does not make for an upbeat movie. In- stead we see her forced to deal with some of the uglier aspects of human nature for the first time, and even- tually come see the tarnish on her heroes.' An Awfully Big Directed by Mike Newell; with Hugh Grant, Georgina Cates and Alan Rickman Ann Arbor ] &2 The play on stage is "Peter Pan," and the theme is eternal innocence. Yet while the actors are on stage awing the children in the audience, the actions taking place backstage are quite the opposite. Everyone in this troupe partakes in some vice. Stella gets to witness first hand the sleaziness of the business as she fends off the sexual advances of a stagehand, a theater reviewer and the man who plays the lead in this children's drama. Despite her best efforts to remain innocent, she re- ceives a huge dose of reality before her adventure ends. One of these bad influences is played by Hugh Grant, found here playing a very different character than American audiences are used to seeing. Grant steps out of his role as the charming, witty, flustered upper-class Englishman, to try out a more sinister part. His director is a heartbreaking playboy, known for selfishness and cruelty. Although Grant receives top billing because of his name recognition, he does not really play a central role, and that role is anything but comic. Georgina Cates, who plays Stella, is very good. Her performance poignantly relates the emotions of being 16, of wanting to be someone and of losing one's youthful con- cepts of love. She is likable and believable, which makes her story all the more bittersweet. The plot seemed a bit slow at times. It also contained many little side plots or action, some of which added color to the story of her the- ater life. However, some were too brief to illustrate anything and served only to create an overwhelm- ing feeling. Perhaps some of the footage would have been best left In "An Awfully Big Adventure" Hugh Grant plays a very different character than he does In films like "Nine Months." on the cutting room floor. The movie also seemed somewhat critical of theater life, which was depicted in less than the best light. It employed many typical stereo- types associated with theater, and made several of the employees ap- pear less than honest. Still, there was no question of the attractive- ness of the theater for Stella and almost everyone else involved. An "Awfully Big Adventure" is an in- teresting ride, but don't expect to find it as exciting as young Stella does. BOOKS Continued from page 8 Mon Flux: The perodotus File Mark Mars and Eric Singer MTV Books/Pocket Books The, world surrounding MTV's ob- ject of foot fetishism lEon Flux finds a further outlet in this slickly packaged graphic novel. With a cover mimicking a file folder (it even tucks into itself), the book is an experiment in presenting only documents to tell a story, quite -possibly unique as faras graphic novels thus far. Spinning a tale of intrigue and deceit straight from the desk of Trevor Goodchild, the ever nenacing chair- man of the mythical Bregna, "Opera- :o ti dotus," is interesting in and of its-f awell as an expansion of infor- ltton surrounding the television show "Eon Flux." The book is a collection of bits ofa story about the smashing of the Be'rognican Reunificatioi Movement, a group that wants to reunite Bregna aud its lawless neighbor Monica. You get to see cultural errata from the fictional world. Things like pages from a soft-core porn rag with .Eon's fdot'in a prominent erotic position or death announcements from a Monican necrophile mag. More salient to the story and the reality of the fictional world are the documents concerning the history of the warring states tEon is a terrorist in. You learn facts like Bregna arid Monica used to be a single country called Berognica and the reasons be- hindthe twisting border that divides the two countries and is a recurrent plot point in the TV series. It is very enlight- eiing and makes significantly more sense than most of its episodes. The book stays true to the heart of the series; though. There's sufficient weird- ness, murder, sex and futurism to sat- isfy the expectations of the long-suffer- 'ffg fan. For example forensic examina- tion of )Eon's twisting eyelash reveals the excrement of the household Africanus fly, a gentle nod to the fly trapped in our leather-clad heroine's lashes at the beginning of every show. Right under that report is one concern- ing some scabs found in Eon's resi- dence. Delightfully sick, these authors. ;The main drawback of this package is' its price tag. At $18 it is nearly more expensive than a video of episodes of the show. And this one doesn't move. Well, it won't get sucked into your VCR, either. Weigh your desire for this package and make your decision. And 'always remember, it could make a great gift for that special fetishist in your life. - Ted Watts Carol Orsborn solved by Sunset: The Right Brain Way to Resolve Whatever's Bothering You in Qne Day or Less Harmony "You are entrusted in this particular tiie and place with a sacred task: to bringyourself into alignment with the ia e ergy of the divine." Carol Orsbr makes it clear early on that s not merely a book to read but rahera mission to undertake.