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8 Thursday, April 9, 1998 Movie’s ‘mercury’ rises only so far as average action fare ■ Miko Hughes, 12, makes the most of his role as an autistic computer hacker. Picture what it would have been like if people were out to kill Dustin Hoffman’s autistic character in “Rainman.” Now, make that character 9 years old, and it’s “Mercury Rising.” Bruce Willis (“Die Hard”) stars as MmT. . .8™ 1 I ip \ % *!*- w ? * HI I H’ I n Bruce Willis plays yet another cop-like character attempting to save innocent people in distress. This time it is Miko Hughes, an autistic computer whiz. 300 L Main Street • Carrboro | APRIL 9TH Dubb Assassin &DJ Steve 10 FR COWS w/Crash Cadillac & Zen Guerilla USA REGGAE JAM (3PM-2AM) 12 SU The Business" ($8) 15 WE GIBB DROLL ($6) w/Hobex 16 TH BLONDE REDHEAD" ($6) 17 fr BURNING SPEAR” (sl3) 18SA HIPBONE(SS)w/Nymbus 21 TU AGENTS OF GOOD ROOTS" ($5) 23 TH Sustainable Farming Benefit 24 FR "Indycent Exposure' (w/Superchunk)" ($10) 25 SA Nikki Sudden w/ Clarissa ($6) 27 MO Gillian Welch & David Rawlings" ($9) 28 TU Sankofa CD Release ($5) MAY IFR Versus 2SA Bioßltmo STU JUNE OF'44 6WE Robert Earl Keen BFR Junior Brown & APRIL 11 @ LIZARD A SNAKE: Chris Whitley •‘Advance ticket sales at SchoolKkJs (Raleigh). Poindexter's (Durham), Monster Records (CH). For Credit Card orders CALL 919-967-9053 AH American Meal Deal Jk->. Includes your Choice of Hamburger or Grilled Chicken Sensation Sandwich plus French Fries* and a Dessert Sundae r All American Meal Deal! £23*4.99 PH ■ Limit 2 penom per coupon. No< vfel with aiy other offer. Good X ptrtidpM- I I ing Sweiuen’a only Tin and beverage not included Coupon expdei 5-7-98 ! . WILL KIMMEY Art Jeffries, a single, delu sional under cover FBI agent who has been demoted for 'Mercury Rising' being too big for his britches. Sound familiar? See any “Die Hard” film and see Willis portraying the exact same char acter. At least we know he can do it con- SPORTS SHORTS 1 rI ' . i. i r T Hi ii H- i T ; WBAXMMsUMu* Men’s Tennis vs. N.C. State 2:3opm at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center Friday. Aoril 10 Women’s Tennis vs. Florida State 10:00am at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center Baseball vs. Florida State- 1:00pm at Boshamer Stadium Saturday. April 11 Outdoor Track “What’s the Score” Meet 1-4 pm at Belk Track & Fetzer Field Men’s Tennis vs. Clemson 1:00pm at Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center Baseball vs. Florida State 1:00pm at Boshamer Stadium Sunday. April 12 Baseball vs. Florida State- I:3opm at Boshamer Stadium Students & Faculty Admitted FREE n /ID! Lvour ChaiceSupcrYundae "j I Coupon good for ny puty tire. Not vilid with ley iXber Good a pnrtid- 1 puuig Swaura’a only. Tax not mcJudod. Copo eq*w 57-98 J gWENSENS DIVERSIONS Movies vincingly and that he always looks so cool with a cut on his forehead and blood streaming down his brow. Miko Hughes is Simon Lynch, the aforementioned autistic child with a predilection for puzzles. He solves a big one in deciphering the nation’s top secret security code, called Mercury, and Jeffries is the only one who can save him from National Security agent Nicholas Kudrow, played by the always cunning Alec Baldwin (“Malice”). Once Baldwin finds out that the child has broken the code, he goes to great lengths to prevent die child from getting into the wrong hands this includes murdering his parents and attempting to murder him. As the story unfolds, it becomes one where you basically know what is going to happen, just not how it will actually go down. Jeffries and Simon narrowly escape several attempts on their lives by government in such places as a hospital, die freeway and a train. The dialogue is rather hokie at times, and Willis and Baldwin tend to overact their parts. Twelve-year-old Hughes, however, steals the show. He proves that he has come a long way from his “Boys have a penis, girls have a vagina” days along side Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Kindergarten Cop.” I know the Academy rarely looks at such young actors for its awards, but the performance Hughes gives is first-rate, especially for someone so young. Of course, Anna Paquin did win for “The Piano,” didn’t she? Maybe he will win, after all, the Academy has been kind to actors por traying people with metal handicaps. See Hoffman in “Rainman,” Tom Hanks in “Forrest Gump” and, most recendy, Jack Nicholson in “As Good As It Gets. ” Hughes might see hundreds of scripts coming his way very soon. Despite the flick’s shortcomings which include a scene that is “deathly” similar to the end of “Die Hard” it is still worth seeing, at least as an after noon matinee price. Also, like several other films these days, it is based on a novel, Ryne Douglas Peardon’s “Simple Simon,” which is probably better. But who really reads books, anyway? vnn NIL Jlf -- i gf] iJ& lifi 'Danger Will Robinson," is the quote of the hour with ‘Lost in Space.' Tawdry, at best, the movie runs the gamut from cheesy camp to special effects extravaganza while never settling on one genre. Bad sci-fi falls into black hole; ‘Space’ suffers from bad plot Hollywood’s obsession with doomed ships took itself to an abysmal low with “Lost in Space,” which sorrowfully did n’t have a Celine Dion ballad to help conjure up any emotion. The convoluted, special-effects-laden voyage of the famed Robinson family trips over itself, stalling every 15 min utes or so a clear sign screenwriter JIM MARTIN Movie Review 'Lost in Space" 'No Feet” Akiva Goldsman had no clue what to do with the family once in space. The robot’s wail of “Danger, Will Robinson” could not have been more fit ting with this movie slated as a sd-fi extravaganza. Reduced to a collective goo of camp, action-adventure with a smattering of romance and melodrama all drawn loosely together with elements of rudimentary science fiction, the movie never completely takes off. Director Stephen Hopkins (“The |A homemade in an intimate atmosphere. Make Reservations Now for Graduation- Special Formal Wear. Special Student Prices. Rent your next tuxedo at Julian’s 'BBBSr and save if your house commits to 15 or more. Mg*' Julian’s Student Tux Special is $45 on your choice of three tuxedo models. HHK| Plus there’s a wide assortment of accessories to personalize your outfit (additional cost per item). ,C r Let Julians be your tuxedo headquarters , f ■> Hr • Since 1942, Julian’s College Shop in downtown [ ■ JL' Chape! Hill has been dressing UNC students in style. ; —————————— Open Momliu Saturday 10 (> •.140 Past Tiapol I li.ll IT |Sc> i . cfnail: jiiliansCo aol.coni Ghost and the Darkness”) guides this big cinema faux pas where the action seemingly never stops, but by the movie’s end, nothing has happened. Based on the campy television show of the 19605, “Lost in Space” is the tale of the Robinson family and its quest to jettison off from Earth toward Alpha Prime, a far-off planet in another galaxy. Alpha Prime is the only hope for human civilization, which has polluted Earth to its end, and to survive, Alpha Prime was found for colonization. The problem is: a) the planet is light years away, so the Robinson journey is really long; b) they have to build an ultra sci entific “hypergate” for quick space trav el; c) there are space terrorists trying to sabotage the family; and of course, and) the Robinson family is utterly dysfunc tional and falling apart from all sides. But Hopkins’ haphazard directing style plagues the film. Scenes jump around constantly, completely disori enting the viewer and causing a rift in 2>ljr Daily (Ear Hni the continuity of the already weak story. The actors (Matt Leßlanc as Major West excluded, of course) cannot be blamed for their tums-for-the-worst. William Hurt, as Professor Robinson, has not made the best of films lately, but he was in “Broadcast News” and “The Big Chill.” He knows good cinema; he misread this script. Mimi Rogers as Maureen Robinson plays the concerned mother, in charac ter as possible, for her restless kids. Heather Graham (“Boogie Nights”) plays the science-first-guys-later doctor and brightens up the movie with a spunky performance. The other kids Lacey Chabert (of television’s “Party of Five”) is an annoying, bratty teen, and Jack Johnson gives a somewhat impres sive performance as the whiz-kid Will. Rounding out the cast is Gary Oldman as Dr. Smith —as generically evil as his common name suggests. The worst thing about this film is the blatant absurdity of the cliffhanger at the movie’s end. Leaving the end in question assures that Hopkins will pitch New Line Cinema for a sequel. This show is not redeemable enough in itself to warrant a sequel. But, the box office receipts and the marketing ploys will tell the real future of the Robinson family. "“•J UlslcT \VWk; Cqlter You’re invited to a Workshop.. “Writing Effective Application Essays” Hiesday, April 14 Room 215 Saunders 3:30-s:3opm ItemWE
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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April 9, 1998, edition 1
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