Newspapers / Meredith College Student Newspaper / Dec. 5, 2001, edition 1 / Page 8
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8 Features Domestic Disturbance dark but far from reality Muggles rejoice! The Potter craze ignites the box office □ Don’t expect this imitiation thriller to be included in Hitchcock’s library. Kristen Thompson Stan Writer It is the opening of a typical Lifetime movie: separations, divorces, second marriages and a 12-year-old son who rebels because his mother is remarry ing a man who is not his father. Add a creepy stepfather, a mur der and a round of abuse, and you have Domestic Distur bance before your eyes. Domeslic Disturbance, directed by Harold Becker and written by Lewis CoUck, brings an extra element of fear to a typical divorce story. Under the horizon of a small seaside town stands Frank Morrison (John Travolta), a low-income boat builder. He is the typical nice guy and devot ed father, which makes you wonder why his ex-wife Susan (Terri Polo) divorced him in the first place to marry the troubling Rick Barnes (Vince Vaughn). Frank and Susan’s son, Danny Morrison (Matthew O’Leary), does not mesh well with Rick from the beginning. However, Frank encourages his son to give Rick a chance. However, it is not until Rick's friend, Ray Coleman (Steve Buscemi) shows up at Susan and Rick’s wedding to collect an unpaid debt that the tension mounts. Later, the viewer dis covers that Ray are Rick were once partners in crime. Worried that his newfound image will be destroyed, Rick decides that the best way to maintain his new image is to kill Ray. He does, but not with out an eyewitness to the event—Danny. Yet when Danny contacts the police to report the crime, hardly anyone will take him seriously—including his mother and father. h does not take Frank long to change his mind and trust his son’s testimony but not before the evil stepfather Rick does what most TV-movie evil step fathers do: Rick terrorizes Danny as a way of pressuring him to keep the murder a secret. The dark and eerie cine matography seems only to increase the predictability of the plot- Viewers know that when the lighting dims it is time for someone to jump out of the shadows- The characters also add to the banality of the plot sincethey never fully develop. For example, Rick is the obvi ous "bad guy,” the evil stepfa ther incarnate. There was no need for the viewer to dissect characters’ motives because everyone knows who is going to throw around the knife and the harassing jargon. As the polar opposite of Rick, Frank represents the “good guy” whose character is stunted in developing’because his optimistism and pristine record make him appear un- genuine. In fact, many of the scenes do not live up to their thriller potential. One scene even harks to the hackneyed and cliched thriller Scream, which places Domestic Disturbance far from the true thrillers: Sec onds after Frank bashes his head through a car window, he looks up and smiles at Danny, who is tied up in the car. Reahstic? Hardly. Inventive? Try again. Domestic Disturbance pro vides enough tension and sus pense to make it entertaining, but you can get that sitting at home watching Lifetime. It is rated FG-13 for violence, lan guage and brief sexuality. Q You didn’t think the wizardry would end with the book, did you? See what Hollywood has done. Margaret Cooney SlafI Writer The wait is finally over for children and adults alike: Hero. Harry Potter, has finally made his way from the pages of the J-K. Rowling hit books to the big screen. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone broke all records with its opening week end box office sells of over $90 million. However, did the hype sur rounding the niovie live up to people’s expectations? For muggles, Potfer-speak for non- magical people such as fans of the series, it seems so. In the title role, portrayed wonderfully by Daniel Rad- cliffe, the young Harry Potter finds himself introduced to a world of magic, which previ ously seemed unknown. To his delight, Harry is accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a superb change' from his life at his aunt and uncle’s house where he was treated like a slave. On his journey to Hogwarts, Harry is accompanied by a giant name Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane), who explains that Harry is famous for being the boy who survived the curse of an evil wizard named Lord Voldemort. Harry’s parents were killed by Voldemort, but mysteriously, Harry survived with only a scar on his fore head. At Hogwarts, Harry is a leg end, causing jealously from some and admiration from oth ers. Harry is able to make two very good friends, Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), who like Harry for who he is. The three spend much of their time getting into mischief and trying to learn all the secrets of Hogwarts. Much of the movie is cen tered on the mysterious Sorcer er’s Stone and its power. The three friends become suspi cious of it after finding a 3- headed dog named Fluffy is protectively guarding it. Harry and his friends soon come to believe that someone is after the stone; they suspect it to be Professor. Snape (Alan Rickman). But why does Professor Snape want the stone? Viewers soon learn that the stone turns metal into gold and is able to give immortality to all who have it in his or her possession. This immortality is needed for Lord Voldemort, who is very weak and sustains life from drinking unicorns’ blood. Harry and his friends must find a way to stop Snape and save the stone from the hands of evil. The three go through various challenging obstacles, each friend having to exhibit his own personal strength and skills. At the end, Harry final ly meets the culprit and has to face his mortal enemy Lord Voldemort in a life or death battle. Harry Potter and the Sorcer er’s Sfone juxtaposes solid act ing along with groundbreaking special effects. The three child stars show much talent as they portray their characters. What is most important of all, however, is that the script- directed by Chris Columbus who is best known for his work on Home Alone—true to Rowling’s creation. Be forewarned that the movie does run two and a half hours long, an increment that may be too long to spin a wiz ard’s tale but not long enough for the throngs of devoted Pot ter fans. The movie is rated PG for scary scenes and mild lan guage. Merry Christmas from the Herald Staff!! Dorms will reopen at 2 p.m. on January 6th.
Meredith College Student Newspaper
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