Newspapers / Elon University Student Newspaper / Jan. 23, 2002, edition 1 / Page 19
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Jan. 23, 2002 Arts & Entertainment Page 19 Watch winter doldrums away with these four fine films Mark Van Hook Columnist As January rolls on, moviegoers will see an abhorrent amount of me diocre to flat-out awful films popu late their multi plexes. Each year, studios use the January to April period as a dump ing ground for films not suitable for lucrative holi day or summer release dates. This leaves a small window to see films studios attempted to shoehorn into De cember to qualify for Oscar eligibil ity. With no clear-cut Th£^Reel e-imti: ^sk9-32^ad,«m favorite emerging in the Oscar race, there is an absurd amount of “must-see” films. Four such films are “Amelie,” “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “A Beautiful Mind” and “Lord of the Rings: The Fel lowship of the Ring.” Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s “Amelie” is pure cinematic joy, a rapturous story about life’s absurdities and co incidences told with visual ingenu ity and remarkable style. Amelie Poulin (Audrey Tautou) is a Pari sian waitress who sets out to help oth ers, but finds a love of her own in the process. Jeunet’s imagery bathes Paris in gorgeous colors that bleed off the screen. The joy of the film lies in Jeunet and Guillame Laurent’s witty script, which reminds us that life can be both completely random, and yet not random at all. In “The Royal Tenenbaums,” quirk-master Wes Anderson chronicles the lives a clan of ge niuses in New York. The film be gins with a comical prologue detail ing the separation of Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) and his wife Etheline (Angelica Hous ton), and its effect on their three child prodigies. Despite a cast boasting Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson and Gwyneth Paltrow, it is a lesser film than Anderson and Owen Wilson’s pre vious effort, “Rushmore,” because the script is hampered by undevel oped periphery characters. All told, “Tenenbaums” is un questionably Anderson-esque, and this is simply a reason for rejoic ing. Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly are magnificent as schizo phrenic mathematician John Nash and his wife Alicia in the Golden Globe winning “A Beautiful Mind.” In an enigmatic performance, Crowe reminds us that he can actu ally act (for further evidence check out The Insider). Connelly realisti cally depicts the frustration of the WorldWideWeb WorldWideWeb WorldWideWeb WorldWideWeb WorldWideWeb WorldVJideWeb. WorldWideWeb WorldWideWeb WorldWideWeb web.wdch. * QuizYourFriends.com WorldWideWeb WorldWideWeb WorldWideWeb WorldWideWeb WorldWideWeb WorldWideWeb WorldWideWeb WorldWideWeb WorldWideWeb Suzann Magrdichian Reporter Hundreds of arguments through out history have been based on the argument, “You never listen to me.” From their significant other, to their parents and to their best friends, many college students won der how much their dearest friends and family really know about them. Now, with the use of a new Web site that seems to be making its way quickly through university e-mail systems, anyone can find out whether the people in their lives are all ears—or all-consumed in some thing else all together. QuizYourFriends.com is a free Web site that allows users to create up to 10 multiple choice questions on the topics of their choice—usu ally themselves. If I yyere stranded on a ^.serted-island, what .ona. thing would I miss most? A^Mr,£uzz^Udid^bmX. B. mv guitar C. pizza ~D. Dawson*s Creek For a girl wanting to quiz her guy on the finer points of their re lationship, or for a guy who wants to check out his friends’ knowledge of his favorite bands, the site is a quick, easy way to put them to the test. The quiz stays posted for thirty days. Touchstone / KRT Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow and Gene Hackman, part of an all- star cast, play delightfully on the dysfunctional in Wes Anderson’s newest film, “The Royal Tenenbaums.” wife and caretaker of her disabled husband. The performances are so good that its “cue sad music” and “cue moving speech” moments are for givable. Still, “A Beautiful Mind” is worth a look, if only to see two fine actors at the top of their game. With “The Fellowship of the Ring,” Peter Jackson has delivered. as promised, an adult fantasy that is both intimate and epic, made with intelligence, attention to detail and a genuine respect for the audience. Jackson has made up where “Harry Potter” failed, keeping the spirit and energy of the original text intact. The film may not rank with Kurosawa, but 1 wouldn’t hesitate to pair it with Lucas or Spielberg. Users name their quiz and cre ate questions and multiple-choice answers. What’s Sally’s favorite Crayola crayon? With the multiple choice an swers, there’s also always room to add a little humor, (Like adding “your mom” as one of the possible answers every so often.) The site allows users to study and compare their friends’ scores and send additional people the quiz by typing their e-mail addresses into a database. One downfall of the site is the plethora of banner ads and pop-up windows. QuizYourFriends.com is a fast and simple way to have some fun with friends. And you might even find out that Sally’s favorite crayon is none other than burnt umber. 9iit>QJl(0ccaiim6f£B, "Wing & Counnet” Gift Baskets Gourmet Foods Unique Gifts and Cards Burt’s Bees Products Large Wine Selection Gift Certificates Huffman Ann Elizabeth St First State Ruby HOLLY CENTER MALL Hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. - Closed Sunday Local Delivery and UPS Shipping 336-585-0877 - WE ACCEPT ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS -
Elon University Student Newspaper
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Jan. 23, 2002, edition 1
19
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