Good Times Buffet
Ways to Annoy People in the Eads Computer Lab Ratings System
***** Use Interactive Send to make passes at people you don’t know.
**** Play Pong for hours on the most powerful computer in the lab.
** * Attempt to eat your computer’s mouse.
** Print 50 pages of Britney Spears photos during lunchtime.
* Type frantically, often stopping to look at the person next to you evilly.
Apocalypse Now Redux
Martin Sheen plays a depressed captain sent deep into the jungle to assassinate Marlon Brando’s colonel turned cult leader, during the Vietnam War. Francis Ford Coppola has added almost an hour of additional footage to this classic 70’s film including a new scene with the Playboy Bunnies. That’s right, Playboy Bunnies. At the Hi-Point.
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Brother
Japanese director Takeshi Kitano also stars in Brother, his first U.S. film. Kitano is Anki, a Japanese Yazuzo (mafia) marked for death, who flees to L.A. in search of his drug dealing, gang banging younger brother. Anki quickly moves up the chain of command and helps the gang expand its power while at the same time imposing his sense of Eastern honor on traditional Western machismo. At the Tivoli.
Unreviewed
Ghost World
In Ghost World, Thora Birch inherits the ironic alterna-chick persona previously owned by indie turncoat Christina Ricci. Birch plays Enid, a recent high school grad who spends her days hanging with her best friend, Rebecca, ripping on social conformists. Through a personal ad she meets Seymour (chic geek Steve Buscemi), a lonely loser with an obsession for old records. A great coming of age story based on Daniel Clowe’s cult comic book. At the Tivoli.
****
Hardball
Keanu Reeves stars as a compulsive gambler given the chance to repay his debt by coaching a talentless inner-city Little League team. He teaches them about baseball and they teach him how to be a better man. I didn’t like this movie the first time I saw it when it starred Emilio Estevez and was called The Mighty Ducks. And Emilio can actually act, not well, but at least it’s something. At the Esquire.
Unreviewed
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
It’s an all too-familiar story. Boy meets boy. Boy becomes girl to marry boy. Boy’s operation goes wrong and he’s subsequently abandoned in a Kansas trailer park with only his dream of rock stardom to cling to, until his young lover strips him of that too and he’s left playing to the buffet-loving crowd. Ok, so maybe an East German transsexual musical falls slightly outside the bounds of
conventional American cinema; that’s not necessarily a bad thing. At the Tivoli.
*****
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
The demented duo ditch New Jersey and head for Hollywood to stop Miramax from making a movie about their superhero alter egos, Bluntman and Chronic. Kevin Smith fans will appreciate appearances by his former characters, but for those uninitiated in the world of Clerks, Mall Rats, and Chasing Amy, this movie is just a 120-minute long inside joke. At the Esquire.
***
Jeepers Creepers
Hell hath no fury like the Creeper. He comes out of hiding every 23 years and has just 23 days to rebuild himself by feeding on the parts of living humans. Hmm, cannibalism with a purpose. Too bad teenagers Trish and Darry don’t recognize the utilitarian value in this plan, so rather than sacrificing themselves they actually try to find some way to stop him. Crazy kids. At the Esquire.
*
Lumumba
The true story of the meteoric rise and fall of Patrice Lumumba, the fiery political leader who became the Congo’s first prime minister in 1960. Though the people worshiped him, Lumumba’s vision of a united Africa earned him many powerful enemies including the Belgium government and the CIA, and ultimately caused his untimely assassination. If you’re interested in an intelligent
thriller, I highly recommend this film. At Plaza Frontenac.
Unreviewed
Our Song
Jim McKay’s follow-up to 1996’s Girl’s Town, follows three teenage girls through a summer in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Lanisha, Jocelyn, and Maria face family troubles, unexpected pregnancy, and the realization that their school will not be re-opening due to an asbestos problem. First shown at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, this movie presents a real portrait of adolescent life in the Projects. At the Tivoli.
Unreviewed
Rat Race
This movie was surprisingly good. Six teams battle each other in a free-for-all race from Las Vegas to Silver City, New Mexico, for a two million dollar purse. While a little corny and annoying at times (the opening credits and song), it has some classic moments. Watch for John Lovitz’s encounter with some neo-nazis and a comeback cameo attempt by
Dean Cain. At Union Station.
****
Rock Star
Marky Mark sings heavy metal in this story of “a wannabe who got to be.” He plays in a cover band but when the group he idolizes fires its front man, Mark gets the chance to live out his dreams. Of course that’s not the end of the tale. In an attempt to show all us regular folk that being famous isn’t everything (yeah, right), Mark overindulges in the rock star life and loses sight of who he really is. You may feel the urge to leave early, but stay for the credits; the laugh is worth it. At the Esquire.
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Rush Hour 2
America’s biggest mouth and Hong Kong’s biggest muscle reunite in this buddy-cop-action sequel. The partners head off to the Orient to investigate
several bombings attributed to Chinese gang leader Ricky Tan. They soon come up against Tan’s deadly assassin, Zhang Ziyi (the princess from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), but even she can’t beat the Chan man. At the Esquire.
**
Summer Catch
Filmmakers take note: dopey teen flick plus Freddie Prinze, Jr. equals Box Office Bomb! Apparently the people behind Summer Catch never got that memo which explains how this movie managed to be made. Prinze stars as Ryan Dunne, a blue-collar pitcher invited to play in the elite Cape Cod Baseball League where he hopes to earn a shot at the Majors, providing a beautiful co-ed doesn’t get in his way.
The Deep End
When a mother discovers the body of her son’s sleazy lover on the family beach, she immediately dumps the corpse to protect her boy. She doesn’t tell a soul but before long one of the dead man’s associates shows up with a videotape and a blackmail demand. The woman and the handsome thug, played by ER’s Goran Visnjic, inevitably fall for each other, further complicating the situation. At the Tivoli.
*****
The Glass House
Close family friends adopt two teenagers following the death of their parents in a car accident. They seem to be the perfect couple: attractive, successful, and oh so caring. But the children soon discover that appearances are deceiving, as
they become prisoners in their new home. But big sister might have a way out because even the guardians have to let down their guard some time. At Chase Park Plaza.
Unreviewed
The Musketeer
A new take on Dumas’ classic tale, featuring an all-star international cast that includes Tim Roth and Stephen Rhea. D’Artagnan is a great swordsman who sacrifices his future in order to defend his musketeer friends against French power in the 17th Century. The film features action scenes choreographed by Hong Kong master Xin Xin Xiong, who mixes Eastern and Western fighting tecniques to stunning effect. It’s the same old story, but might be worth checking out. At the Esquire.
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Two Can Play That Game
Yes they can! After self-professed relationship expert Shante (Vivica A. Fox) catches her man with another woman she decides to teach him a lesson about love. But cheating Keith won’t take her 10-day plan lying down and plots a little something of his own. You never know what comedy may ensue as these two wage yet another battle of the sexes. I know I’m anxious to find out. At the Esquire.
Unreviewed